TULSA, Okla. – Oral Roberts took control late in the first half and held off multiple comeback bids by South Dakota State en route to an 87-82 victory over the Jackrabbits Saturday in the Mabee Center.
It was a back-and-forth contest in the early going with SDSU taking a 13-12 lead behind a Zeke Mayo 3-pointer with 13 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the first half. ORU’s DeShang Weaver drained a 3-pointer a minute later, signifying the last lead change of the game.
The Golden Eagles pushed their lead to 10 thanks to an 11-0 run. SDSU cut the deficit to 29-26 with a seven-point scoring spree, however Oral Roberts scored the half’s final eight points and went into halftime ahead 37-26.
South Dakota State worked its way back into the matchup and was down a single possession just five minutes into the second half. Charlie Easley made a layup at the 14:49 mark to make it a 44-42 score, but Weaver responded on the next possession with a 3-pointer for the Golden Eagles. A Luke Appel three-point play again cut the deficit to 47-45, however ORU’s Jailen Bedford 3-pointer at the 13:14 mark extended the Golden Eagles’ advantage to 50-45.
Oral Roberts led by as many as 15 before SDSU again cut into the margin. SDSU had the game within four points on two occasions, including after a William Kyle III layup to cut it to 75-71 with 2:35 to go.
ORU continued to hold off SDSU late by keeping multiple four-point leads down the stretch. A dunk by Kyle III made it an 85-82 score with 4.3 seconds left, but the Golden Eagles’ Issac McBride made two ensuing free throw opportunites to close the matchup out.
The Golden Eagles improved to 10-11 overall and 4-4 in Summit League action. The Jackrabbits dropped to 12-10 and 5-2 in league play.
Notes
- Oral Roberts was led by a career-high 32 points from Weaver. He finished 12 of 20 shooting and 8-for-15 from 3-point range. McBride played all 40 minutes for the Golden Eagles and recorded 19 points thanks to going 11-for-11 at the free throw line. He also had a team-high six assists. Bedford had 12 points and Kareem Thompson added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
- Both teams shot 45% from the field, but Oral Roberts ended with three more 3-pointers and free throws apiece than SDSU. The Jacks had a 39-33 edge on the boards, but ORU had a 12-9 edge in offensive rebounds. The home side had an 18-7 advantage in points off turnovers as SDSU committed 10 to ORU’s six.
- Zeke Mayo paced the Jacks in scoring with 20 of his team-high 23 points in the second half. He was joined in double digits by Kyle III (16), Kalen Garry (15) and Easley (12). Mayo had a game-high seven assists and Kyle III registered nine rebounds.
Up Next
The Jackrabbits return to Brookings to play three consecutive home games. SDSU opens the homestand at 7 p.m. on Thursday when it hosts North Dakota State in Frost Arena.