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Oral Roberts University

Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

Women's Basketball

ORU Continues Road Tilt at South Dakota State on Monday

BROOKINGS, S.D. - The Oral Roberts University women's basketball team continues Summit League play against South Dakota State at 7:00 p.m. on Monday night at Frost Arena in Brookings, S.D. The contest can be heard live on KYAL 1550 AM in the Tulsa area, as well as on www.orugoldeneagles.com.

Scouting the Lady Jacks
South Dakota State is currently 7-6 overall and 3-0 in Summit League play after routing Centenary by a score of 82-35 on Saturday. The Lady Jacks are a veteran group, returning four starters from last year's squad that posted a 17-1 record in Summit League play and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Senior Maria Boever leads South Dakota State with 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while junior Kristin Rotert has added 13.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. The Lady Jacks are averaging 71.7 points per game compared to their opponents' 66.6 mark. South Dakota State is shooting 45 percent from the field and a respectable 39 percent from 3-point range.

All-Time Results Versus South Dakota State
Monday's contest marks just the sixth meeting between the two schools, as South Dakota State holds a 4-1 advantage. ORU won the first contest at home in 2007, but has lost the last four against the Lady Jacks, including two games in Brookings by an average of 22.5 points. The Golden Eagles fell by a score of 76-52 at Frost Arena last season and were edged by seven points in the Mabee Center. ORU then dropped a 77-49 decision to South Dakota State in the first round of the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Recapping the North Dakota State Game
ORU failed to score over the final 2:20 of the contest, dropping a 68-66 decision to North Dakota State on Saturday. Hannah Linz sank two free-throws to retake the lead with 52.1 seconds remaining, and Katie Birkel went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to put the Bison up by two with 10.4 ticks left. The Golden Eagles had the final possession but failed to get a shot off. Trailing by four at halftime, ORU jumped out of the gate with an 11-0 run to take a seven-point lead. The Bison answered with a 13-0 run to climb back to a six-point advantage. The Golden Eagles scored six straight points to knot the game at 49 apiece with 10:05 remaining. North Dakota State then scored nine consecutive points in the next two minutes to go up 58-49, but ORU charged back again with a 12-3 run to tie the game at 61-61 with 4:41 left to play. Jaci Bigham buried a huge 3-pointer to give ORU a one-point lead with 3:12 remaining, and then converted a layup for the one-point advantage again before the Bison ended the game with three free-throws in the final minute of play. Bigham led the Golden Eagles with 20 points off 6-of-12 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers, and a 4-of-6 effort from the charity stripe. Kevi Luper tallied 13 points in her first game back from injury, while Jordan Pyle chipped in 12 points. Senior Janae Voelker tied a career high by pulling down 18 rebounds, while also recording eight points.

Bigham Tabbed Summit League Player of the Week
Jaci Bigham, a freshman guard from McAlester, Okla., was named the Summit League Women's Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday after averaging 31.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game as ORU split a pair of contests against Oklahoma State and Evangel. Bigham scored 28 points against the Cowgirls, going 8-of-16 from 3-point range, including six first-half treys. Bigham recorded a career-high 34 points in ORU's win over Evangel on Monday. For the week, Bigham was 19-of-40 from the field, 9-of-23 from beyond the arc and 15-of-18 from the free-throw line. Bigham is a big reason behind ORU's offensive success, ranking 24th nationally and topping the Summit League with 5.5 assists per game. Bigham has handed out five or more assists in nine of the 14 contests this season, and posted a career-high 12 in ORU's 101-85 victory over Sam Houston State. Bigham has totaled 76 assists this season, while the Golden Eagles rank 14th in the country with 16.7 assists per game. Bigham has also stepped it up from a points standpoint, posting seven consecutive double-digit scoring performances where she has averaged 20.7 points per contest.

- ORU -

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Players Mentioned

Jaci Bigham

#22 Jaci Bigham

G
5' 6"
Redshirt
McAlester HS
Jordan Pyle

#20 Jordan Pyle

F
6' 1"
Sophomore
Mustang HS
Janae Voelker

#11 Janae Voelker

G/F
5' 10"
Senior
Newton HS

Players Mentioned

Jaci Bigham

#22 Jaci Bigham

5' 6"
Redshirt
McAlester HS
G
Jordan Pyle

#20 Jordan Pyle

6' 1"
Sophomore
Mustang HS
F
Janae Voelker

#11 Janae Voelker

5' 10"
Senior
Newton HS
G/F
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