The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 91 – South Dakota 78
Record: ORU (12-4), (3-0) – South Dakota (12-6), (1-2)
Location: Sanford Coyote Sports Center (Vermillion, South Dakota)

VERMILLION, S.D. – The Oral Roberts women's basketball team defeated South Dakota, 91-78, on Thursday night in Vermillion for the first time since the 2011-12 season behind a career-high 37 points from Taleyah Jones.

Taleyah Jones headlined an impressive road win by the Golden Eagles with a career-high 37 point outing. Jones shot a blistering 12-of-17 from the field and 5-of-7 from the three point line. Jones scored 14 of her 37 points in the fourth quarter alone going 4-of-5 from the field and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. Jones is the first Golden Eagle to cross the 30-point mark this season.

Hannah Cooper followed with a 17 point performance. Cooper shot 4-of-9 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Cooper was instrumental down the stretch knocking down huge free throws in the fourth quarter. In addition to her scoring output, Cooper also dished out a team-high six assists.

Emily Robinson rounded out the double-digit scorers for ORU as the freshman scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Robinson knocked down four three pointers tonight and recorded five assists.

The Golden Eagles jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead to begin the first quarter behind buckets by Weinrich and Jones. The Coyotes responded with a 5-0 run of their own before Jones ended the run with a fast break layup after a steal by Weinrich. ORU led 10-7 at the first media timeout. Out of the timeout, USD tied the game with a three by Olivia Kieffer. Kieffer drained another three on the Coyotes next trip down the floor to put USD ahead. The Golden Eagles battled back with Weinrich and Jones each hitting a three in the final two minutes as ORU led 22-20 after the first quarter.

South Dakota opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run to take the lead before Sara Rodrigues ended the run with a putback layup. Jalei Oglesby scored a team quarter-high four points as seven different Golden Eagles scored in the quarter. USD held a 35-33 lead at the media timeout. ORU brought itself back within one after a Cooper free throw, but Natalie Mazurek hit a running jump shot as time expired to give the Coyotes the 42-39 lead at the break.

The Golden Eagles opened the third quarter on a 5-0 run to reclaim the lead. At the 9:16 mark, Robinson drained back-to-back three to energize the ORU squad. USD held a three point lead at the media timeout after Grace Larkins knocked down a pair of free throws. ORU went cold from the floor going scoreless from the 6:59 mark to the 3:21 mark. During the time, the Coyotes went on a 10-0 run and stretched their lead out to eight. Jones ended the scoring drought with a free throw followed by baskets by Ruthie Udoumoh, Cooper, and Robinson. The Golden Eagles clawed back and brought themselves within one possession entering the fourth quarter.

Robinson opened the scoring in the fourth with a layup in the paint. Larkins followed with a layup of her own before Jones got a bucket and the foul to fall. Both teams went back and forth on offense as Jones started to get into a groove scoring the ball. At the 6:23 mark, Jones knocked down two threes in the span of two minutes sparking a 7-0 run. After reclaiming the lead, ORU would not give it up again for the remainder of the game. Jones and Cooper took over in the final minutes of the game as the duo continued to make plays for their team and hit crunch time free throws. Jones hit two free throws in the final 30 seconds for her 37th points as ORU capped off a 30-point fourth quarter in a comeback win over the Coyotes.

The Leaders
 
Oral Roberts: Jones scored a career-high 37 points tonight shooting a blistering 12-of-17 from the field and 5-of-7 from long distance. Udoumoh led the way in rebounding with eight boards and Cooper dished out six assists.
 
South Dakota: Larkins filled the stat sheet leading her team in all three major categories with 22 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.

Inside the Box Score

• The Golden Eagles defeated South Dakota in Vermillion for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
• After tonight's win, ORU sits in sole possession of first place in the Summit League standings.
• The Golden Eagles are now 3-0 in Summit League play for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
• ORU has defeated the Coyotes in consecutive games for the first time in series history.
• Three Golden Eagles scored 15 or more points tonight led by Jones' 37. Cooper (17) and Robinson (16) rounded out the three ORU players in double-digits.
• The Golden Eagles were on fire shooting the ball tonight shooting a season-high 47.6% from the three point line and knocking down a season-best 21 free throws.
• The Golden Eagles forced 22 Coyote turnovers while recording 10 steals.
• ORU scored 24 points off of USD's turnovers.
• Robinson and Weinrich led the Golden Eagles with a game-high +21 plus/minus rating.
• ORU outscored the Coyotes 36-26 in points in the paint.
• Tonight's contest saw 18 different lead changes.
• South Dakota narrowly won the rebounding battle grabbing 33 boards to ORU's 30.

Up Next
 
The Golden Eagles will have a quick turnaround as they travel to St. Paul to face St. Thomas on Saturday, January 13th at 12:00 p.m.
 
For the latest information on ORU women's basketball, follow @ORUWBB on X or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics App in the Google Play or App Store.