THE BASICS
Score: Oral Roberts 63 – South Dakota 77
Records: ORU (11-17, 8-9); South Dakota (13-15, 9-8)
Location: Mabee Center – Tulsa, Okla.

TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts women's basketball team fell to South Dakota, 77-63, Thursday night inside the Mabee Center. 

Tirzah Moore registered her Summit League-leading 15th double-double of the season after pouring in a game-high 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds. The sophomore also added two blocks and two steals, which led ORU.

Guard Hannah Cooper reached double-figures for the 23rd straight game as the senior finished with 13 points. The El Paso, Texas, native has now surpassed double-digits in 27 of the 28 games this season. Delaney Nix chipped in with nine points and four rebounds on the night.

South Dakota jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind back-to-back three-pointers before Cooper netted the first basket of the contest for ORU at the 8:15 mark. Trailing 9-4, the Golden Eagles used a 7-0 run to take their only lead of the contest, 11-9, with 3:58 showing on the clock. A pair of free throws from Moore started the run and a Nix transition three capped it off. The Coyotes answered with a 9-1 stretch to close the quarter as they took an 18-12 advantage into the second.

After Sara Rodrigues opened the second with a layup, South Dakota used a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 11, 25-14, as 6:40 showed on the clock. Cooper put an end to the stretch with a layup and sparked a 7-0 Golden Eagle run as they drew within four, 27-23, at the 4:02 mark. The Coyotes answered with a 9-0 stretch to take their largest lead of the half, 36-23, with 1:28 left on the clock. ORU netted the final two baskets of the quarter as they headed to the break trailing 36-27.

Following a Moore and-one, South Dakota used an 11-0 run to open a 21-point advantage, 57-36, at the 2:35 mark. Seven of the final 11 points went the way of the Golden Eagles as they trimmed the deficit to 61-43 going into the fourth. In the third, Moore logged nine of ORU's 16 points.

The Coyotes opened their largest lead of the game, 72-48, following a Carley Duffney three with 4:59 remaining in the contest. Despite ORU closing the final 4:59 on a 15-5 run, the Coyotes went on to win 77-63. Moore and Nix combined for 14 of the Golden Eagles' 20 points in the quarter. 

THE LEADERS
Oral Roberts: Moore totaled a game-best 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting and hauled in 12 rebounds for a double-double.

South Dakota: Grace Larkins delivered an all-around performance for the Coyotes as the guard finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals. 
                                                                                                                                                 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- ORU outrebounded the Coyotes 34-31 on the night.
- Four different Golden Eagles registered two steals.
- ORU totaled 40 of their 63 points in the paint.
- The Golden Eagles netted 14 second-chance points.
- Nix dished out four of ORU's 12 assists.

GAME NOTES
- Thursday's meeting marked the 24th all-time between the two programs.
- Moore notched her League-leading 15th double-double of the season.
- The double-double was also the 18th of the sophomore's career.
- Cooper reached double-figures for the 23rd straight game and 35th time in her career.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles close out their 2022-23 regular season against South Dakota State on Saturday, February 25 at 2 p.m. inside the Mabee Center. Prior to the game, ORU will recognize its four seniors. 

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.

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