SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Oral Roberts meets South Dakota State at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in the Summit League Tournament championship game in Sioux Falls, S.D. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The contest will be broadcast live nationally on ESPNU.

SCOUTING THE JACKS
The Jacks are currently 21-10 overall and have cruised through the opening two games of the Summit League Tournament with an average margin of victory of 34.5 points against IPFW and Western Illinois. South Dakota State has shot 47 percent from the field and knocked down 20 3-pointers in the opening two games. Senior Maria Boever has led SDSU with an average of 24.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while Kristin Rotert has chipped in with 18.0 points per contest.

ALL-TIME RESULTS VERSUS SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Monday's championship marks the eighth meeting between the two schools, as South Dakota State holds a slim 4-3 advantage over ORU. The Golden Eagles swept the Jacks in the regular season, handing SDSU its first-ever Summit League loss inside Frost Arena on Jan. 4 by a score of 81-72. ORU completed the sweep on Jan. 30 with an 86-75 win in Tulsa. Freshmen Jaci Bigham and Kevi Luper combined for 103 points together in both wins.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Freshmen guards Kevi Luper and Jaci Bigham combined for 49 points as Oral Roberts posted an 86-75 victory over South Dakota State in their last meeting in Tulsa on Jan. 30. Luper scored 30 points and pulled down eight rebounds to key ORU's sweep over last season's conference champions. The Adair, Okla., native went 10-of-23 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. Bigham put up 19 points while dishing out four assists and swiping four steals. The McAlester, Okla., product was 7-of-16 from the field, including one 3-point bucket, and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. Jordan Pyle also put together an impressive performance with 14 points off 6-of-8 shooting from the field and six boards. The Golden Eagles swarmed the Jacks on the defensive side of the ball all afternoon, forcing 33 turnovers off 21 steals. ORU scored 40 of its points off SDSU turnovers and 52 points in the paint. The opening half of play was back-and-forth, as ORU held a slim 42-41 advantage at the break. Up by two with 18:57 to play, the Golden Eagles began a 13-0 run to take a 15 point lead. The Jacks cut the lead to 12 with 14:50 remaining before Luper posted a three-point play and a layup on back-to-back possessions to push the advantage back to 17 points. SDSU made a late run to cut the margin to nine points with 1:35 remaining before Bigham took the ball back down the court for a layup to end the threat.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
The Golden Eagles are at or near the top of several statistical categories in the NCAA for team and individual accomplishments. ORU leads the nation in scoring offense with 86.4 points per game and steals with 15.7 per contest, while ranking third in 3-point field goals per game (9.3) and turnover margin (+7.8), 13th in assists per game (16.5). Kevi Luper tops the NCAA in steals per game (4.4), while ranking sixth in scoring with 25.1 points per contest. Fellow freshman Jaci Bigham ranks 12th nationally with 2.9 3-pointers per game, 19th in assists per game (5.4) and 20th in free-throw percentage (.868).

PYLE'N ON
Sophomore forward Jordan Pyle has come up huge for the Golden Eagles in the Summit League Tournament, averaging 22.5 points thru the first two games. Pyle scored a career-high 26 points to lead ORU in the opening game on Saturday, and posted a double-double in Monday's win with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Pyle currently leads the team and Summit League in field goal percentage (63 percent) and offensive rebounds (98), while ranking second on the squad in rebounds per game (7.2). Pyle is also one of four ORU starters averaging double-figure points per game (12.0). Pyle has scored in double figures 19 times this season, while also posting six double-doubles on the year. Pyle secured her first double-double of the 2009-10 campaign in the season-opening win over UT-Pan American with a previous career-best 22 points and 10 rebounds. Pyle posted perfect performances from the field against UMKC on Dec. 7 and at IUPUI on Jan. 18. Pyle has also posted her first-career 3-pointers this season, going 9-of-22 (.409).

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Jaci Bigham and Kevi Luper make up the nation's highest-scoring duo, combining for 42.0 points per contest through the regular season, which accounts for 47 percent of ORU's total offense. Luper, who scored a Summit League-record 44 points against La Salle on Nov. 20, ranks sixth in the country with 25.1 points per game, while Bigham has chipped in 16.9 points per contest. Luper set a conference record by earning four consecutive Summit League Player of the Week awards and has won seven total this season, while Bigham has also collected three for a total of 10 of the 17 weekly accolades. The two freshman guards have led the Golden Eagles in scoring in all but two contests this season. Luper, a native of Adair, Okla., has scored in double figures in all 29 games played this season, including eight performances of 30 or more points. Luper also set a school record with 12 steals against the Thunderbirds, and currently leads the nation with 4.4 steals per game. Bigham, a McAlester, Okla., product, has scored in double figures in 23 of the last 24 contests. Bigham averaged 31.0 points per game when Luper missed two contests at the end of December with an injury. Bigham and Luper combined for 100 points in back-to-back games against South Dakota State (Jan. 30) and North Dakota State (Feb. 1). Bigham currently ranks third all-time at ORU for a single season and first since the Golden Eagles began Division I play with 91 3-pointers, while Luper holds the all-time steals record at ORU with 129. Luper shattered the all-time Summit League single-season scoring mark at UMKC and has 727 total points on the year.

LUPER SETS SUMMIT LEAGUE SINGLE-SEASON SCORING RECORD
Freshman guard Kevi Luper scored 17 points against UMKC on Feb. 27 to set the Summit League single-season scoring record, and has posted a total of 727 points this season. Luper also set the conference mark in free-throws against the Kangaroos and has a total of 184 this season. Luper has won a league-record seven player of the week awards on the season, and kicked off the year by earning four consecutive player of the week awards, marking the first player in Summit League history to achieve the feat. Luper and fellow freshman Jaci Bigham have claimed 10 of the 17 Summit League Player of the Week awards this season. Luper currently ranks sixth nationally in scoring with 25.1 points per game and leads the country with 4.4 steals per contest. The Adair, Okla., native set a school record this season with 129 total steals.

EARLY AND OFTEN
The Golden Eagles' new up-tempo style offense has been evident this season, as ORU leads the nation in scoring with 86.4 points per contest. The Golden Eagles have posted four 100-point games, including victories over Southern Utah and IUPUI, marking the first time in school history ORU has passed the century mark against a league opponent. ORU also surpassed the 100-point mark in back-to-back wins at Houston Baptist (101-59) and Sam Houston State (101-85). The Golden Eagles have also produced against high-caliber opponents, posting 80 points at No. 20 Kansas and at No. 17 Texas. ORU has knocked down a school-record 287 3-pointers this season, and set the single-game record with 18against both UMKC (Dec. 7) and Southern Utah (March 1). Kevi Luper, a freshman from Adair, Okla., has led the ORU scoring attack by averaging 25.1 points, which ranks sixth in the country. Luper set a Summit League record with 44 points against La Salle on Nov. 20. Three other ORU starters are averaging double-digit points per game, including Jaci Bigham (16.9), Jordan Pyle (12.0), and Janae Voelker (11.4). The Golden Eagles are on track to breaking the school record for points per game, which was 81.2, set during the 1982-83 season. The 1982-83 squad is the only team in ORU history to average more than 80 points per contest. The most points an ORU team led by Jerry Finkbeiner has averaged is 68.0 during the 2005-06 season.

CATCHING FIRE FROM BEYOND THE ARC
ORU has drained 287 3-pointers this season, setting a new school record. The Golden Eagles set single-game records for 3-pointers with 18 against both UMKC (Dec. 7) and Southern Utah (March 1). Jaci Bigham buried a career-high eight 3-pointers against Oklahoma State on Dec. 22 and leads the Golden Eagles with 91 treys (42 percent). Janae Voelker has drained 54 3-pointers this season, while Kevi Luper has added 41 treys. Sophomore Jordan Pyle has recorded her first 3-pointers of her career this season, going 9-of-22. ORU has made one or more 3-pointers in each of the past 90 games, which began on December 3, 2007 at Boise State.

ORU SHOOTING FOR SCORING RECORDS AT SIOUX FALLS
The Golden Eagles lit up the scoreboard with 97 points in Saturday's win over Southern Utah in the opening round, marking the second-most points scored in a Summit League Tournament contest. ORU followed with 77 points in a win over UMKC in the semifinals on Monday for a total of 174 points. The record for total points scored in the tournament is 263 set by Troy in 1997. In comparison to the barrage of points scored in the past two games, the Golden Eagles captured the title in 2005 with a total of 137 points, averaging 45.7 points each game.

RECORD WATCH
Senior Janae Voelker continues to climb the career charts at ORU, while freshmen Jaci Bigham and Kevi Luper have started their assault on the single-season marks. Voelker ranks third with 933 career rebounds and eighth with 1,393 points. Voelker also ranks second all-time with 212 steals and ninth with 508 made field goals. Luper set the ORU record for a single season against Centeary on Feb. 20 and has a total of 129 steals on the year, while setting the all-time Summit League single-season scoring mark with 727 total points.Luper also set the all-time league-mark for made free-throws by sinking three at UMKC for a total of 184. Luper ranks fourth among freshmen all-time in NCAA history in scoring and third in steals. Bigham ranks third for a single season and first since ORU began Division I play with 91 3-pointers, while placing third at ORU with 168 assists.

TOP OF THE SUMMIT
ORU clinched the regular -season Summit League title outright on March 1 with a win over Southern Utah. The Golden Eagles went 15-3 in Summit League play to capture their first regular-season conference crown. The Golden Eagles averaged 88.1 points to their opponents' 67.1 points per game. ORU knocked down 35 3-pointers in its first two league games against Southern Utah and UMKC, and handed South Dakota State its first-ever conference loss at home. After a loss to IPFW on Jan. 9, the Golden Eagles won seven consecutive conference games before falling to IPFW again on Feb. 8. ORU posted five consecutive victories to close out the regular season after their second loss to the Mastodons. Four starters for ORU are currently leading the league in at least one category. Kevi Luper is averaging a league-best 34.6 minutes, while posting 25.1 points and 4.4 steals per game. Jaci Bigham is first in assists per game (5.4) and second in 3-point field goals (91) and 3-point percentage (.419). Janae Voelker tops the league in defensive rebounds (199) and ranks second with 8.2 rebounds per game. Jordan Pyle paces the conference in field-goal percentage (.629) and offensive rebounds (98). Since joining the conference prior to the 1997-98 season, ORU is 118-92 (.562) in regular-season play, 20-7 (.741) in tournament action and 138-99 (.582) overall.

GOLDEN EAGLES TURN UP THE HEAT AT FROST ARENA
The Golden Eagles became the first Summit League team to defeat South Dakota State inside Frost Arena, handing the Lady Jacks an 81-72 loss on Jan. 4. SDSU was 19-0 in home conference games prior to the loss. The Golden Eagles came out firing against the Jacks, shooting 51 percent (31-of-61) from the field, 44 percent (10-of-23) from beyond the arc and 90 percent (9-of-10) from the charity stripe. Jaci Bigham scored a career-high 34 points off 13-of-17 shooting from the field and a 6-of-7 effort from 3-point range. Bigham nearly posted a triple-double, handing out eight assists and grabbing eight rebounds. The freshman guard hit three treys in the second half, all answering brief Jackrabbit runs.ORU kept a double-digit lead from the 12:04 mark in the first half until SDSU's Ashley Eide converted a layup with 9.9 seconds remaining in the contest.

SCRAPPY DEFENSE
ORU has not only put together a high-powered offense this season, but also deploys a swarming defense, leading the nation in steals (15.7 per game) and ranking third in turnover margin (+7.8). The Golden Eagles have forced 30 or more turnovers in 10 contests this season, including an ORU-record 47 against both IUPUI (Feb. 13) and Centenary (Feb. 20). In ORU's 86-75 win over South Dakota State on Jan. 30, the Golden Eagles forced 33 turnovers, which was the most for a Jackrabbit team since Nov. 11, 2001. Freshman Kevi Luper leads the country with 4.4 steals per game and holds the all-time ORU single-season record with 129 total steals. Senior Janae Voelker ranks second on the team with 88 steals and 26th nationally with 2.8 steals per game. Voelker's previous season high was 50 steals during the 2008-09 season, and the senior is one of only four Golden Eagles all-time with 1,000 points (1,393), 500 rebounds (933) and 200 steals (212).

YOUTH MOVEMENT
With four freshmen in the starting lineup, the 2009-10 Golden Eagles are arguably the youngest squad in the country. The Golden Eagle freshmen rank first nationally by making up 60% of the team's total scoring, while placing fifth by playing 47% of the total minutes. Kevi Luper (25.1 ppg) and Jaci Bigham (16.9 ppg) make up the highest scoring tandem in the country, combining for 42.0 points per game, and have claimed 10 of the 17 Summit League weekly awards this season. Alex Adekunle has scored in double figures in six contests and is averaging 6.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while Savanna Buck has posted a career-high 16 points on two occasions and is averaging 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

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