THE BASICS
Score: Oral Roberts 59 – South Dakota 90
Records: ORU (5-7, 0-1); USD (8-5, 1-0)
Location: Mabee Center –Tulsa, Okla. 
 
TULSA, Okla. – In the opening game of Summit League play, the Oral Roberts women's basketball slipped at home against the South Dakota Coyotes, falling by a score of 90-59. The Coyotes caught fire in the first quarter and never slowed down, shooting 58.7% from the floor on Monday afternoon.
 
Tirzah Moore finished just one rebound short of her second consecutive double-double, tallying 17 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Eagles.
 
After swapping baskets in the early minutes, South Dakota rattled off a 15-2 run and never looked back. In the first quarter, Tirzah and Trinity Moore combined for 11 of ORU's 13 points.
 
Trailing 21-13 after the first quarter, the Golden Eagles looked to cut into the deficit before halftime. South Dakota had other plans and once again allowed just 13 points to ORU in the frame. Katie Scott, Hannah Cooper, and Delaney Nix all finished with three points in the quarter, while Regan Schumacher added a pair of assists. South Dakota went up by as many as 20 points but a late bucket from Keni Jo Lippe brought ORU within 18 at the half.
 
After halftime, the Coyote defense once again locked down the Golden Eagle offense, allowing just 12 points in the third quarter. Lippe and Tirzah Moore both connected for four points in the quarter to pace the ORU offense,
 
The Golden Eagles found an offensive rhythm in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points in the segment. Hannah Cooper led the way late with six points and a pair of rebounds before the door drew shut on the matinee. When the dust had settled, the Golden Eagles had been roughed up for a 31-point loss to the preseason favorites in the conference opener.
 
THE LEADERS
Oral Roberts: Tirzah Moore missed her second consecutive double-double by just one rebound in the loss. Moore finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, leading ORU in both categories. Hannah Cooper continued to impress with her passing, dropping a team-high five assists.
South Dakota:  Chloe Lamb led all scorers with 18 points . Liv Korngable and Grace Larkins shared a team-high five rebounds while Lamb also dished out a Coyote-best five assists.
                                                                                                                                                   
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- South Dakota came into the game ranked 21st in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll.
- The Coyotes picked up assists on 22 of their 37 baskets.
- ORU and South Dakota split the rebounding battle at 31 apiece.
- Hannah Cooper now has at least five assists is five of ORU's past six games.
- South Dakota has now won 16 straight contests against the Golden Eagles.
- ORU connected on 80% (12-15) of their free-throw attempts on Monday. 80.0% matches the second-highest single-game percentage at the stripe this season.
- Hitting just three pointers, ORU matched their lowest total in a game this season.
- It was the first time since December 6, 2020 against Kansas that an opponent had 20 or more assists against the Golden Eagles.
  
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will be back in action at the Mabee Center as the South Dakota State Jackrabbits travel to Tulsa. South Dakota State will open their conference slate on Monday night against Kansas City before continuing their journey south. Tip-off on Wednesday is slated for 5:00 p.m. and all of the action can be found on the ORU Sports Network or the ORUSN Roku App.
 
For the latest information on ORU women's basketball, follow @ORUWBB on Twitter or go to www.ORUAthletics.com.  Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the new ORU Athletics app in the Google Play or App stores.