Oral Roberts Basketball steals the Summit
Oral Roberts basketball took down the 1 seeded South Dakota State Jack Rabbits to make it to the Summit League Championship game. The Golden Eagles were able to seal the win with good defense and efficient shooting. Oral Roberts basketball shot over 50% from the field and from beyond the 3-point line. The team was led by Kareem Thompson, who scored 22 points, followed by Max Abmas with 18 points. Abmas is the nation’s leading scorer in points per game for Oral Roberts Basketball. Oral Roberts basketball wins the Summit League Championship over North Dakota State for its first time in 13 years.
Max Abmas is headed to the NCAA Tournament. Don't know him? YOU WILL SOON. Oral Roberts is DANCING.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 10, 2021
Meanwhile, North Dakota State basketball made it to the free-throw line 31 times to seal their victory over South Dakota. The Bison beat the 2 seed with 24 free-throws and outrebounding the Coyotes. North Dakota State basketball was led by Rocky Kreuser, who had 20 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
— No Context College Basketball (@ContextFreeCBB) March 10, 2021
In the first half of the Championship game for the Summit League, Oral Roberts basketball led the Bison 45-20. Kevin Obanor leads the Golden Eagles with 17 points. North Dakota State was the lone bright spot in Rocky Kreuser, who had 13 points.
ORAL ROBERTS IS GOING DANCING! For the 1st time since 2008, the Golden Eagles are Summit League Champions! What an incredible run for Paul Mills and company. @ORUMBB pic.twitter.com/ndixgun79V
— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKTUL) March 10, 2021
Limit Turnovers
In the first half of play, the Oral Roberts basketball did not turn the ball over in the first half. The team took care of the basketball and added a steal. North Dakota State basketball did a solid job, only turning the ball over five times. Taking care of the ball, Oral Roberts was really able to separate. The Golden Eagles were also helped by the even scoring attack led by Kevin Obanor, a force on offense, putting up 17 points in the first half, but picked up his second foul and sat out. Lucky for Oral Roberts basketball, Max Abmas stepped up, adding 10 points and handing out six assists. Coach Paul Mills will need to continue this into the second half, stress being aggressive on defense, and take care of the basketball.
In the second half, North Dakota State caused five turnovers in the first four minutes of the second half. Coach Richman made this a point and challenged his team to step it up and stress that if the team wants to continue to play, this is where it has to start. The end is where this is the most relevant on a hail mary pass North Dakota State turns the ball over to Oral Roberts basketball to seal the loss.
LET’S DANCE, ORU! 🕺
The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles are soaring into #MarchMadness for the first time since 2008 after winning the Summit League Championship! pic.twitter.com/s8MpUDVicM
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 10, 2021
Defense
Oral Roberts basketball owned the first half on defense. The team had active hands caused North Dakota State basketball to speed up and make mistakes. The Golden Eagles held the Bison to 21.9% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. North Dakota State took seven 3-pointers, making three of them. Both teams did a great job of not fouling. The Bison had six fouls while the Golden Eagles had five fouls in half. Coach David Richman needs to make North Dakota State basketball adjustments because the defense was there for the Bison, but the team was just a step behind. The team needs to find that step and cause havoc on the Bison.
Summit League Championship
ORU 45
North Dakota State 20
HalftimeReally impressed with this offense. Turned down multiple open 3-point shots to get the best shot. Unselfishness led to a corner 3. https://t.co/CXFhRm7nEE
— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) March 10, 2021
With under 12 minutes left in the second half, North Dakota State basketball started pressing and speeding up the Golden Eagles. This amped up the Bison as the team began to really disrupt Oral Roberts basketball and even had a couple of successful traps and turnovers. The team continued to be the aggressors, and it really invigorated the Bison, who were able to finally tie it up with under two minutes left to play at 72 all. Lacis likely sealed the game with a block with under five seconds left to play.
Rebounding
North Dakota State needs to find the ball. This is what sealed their semifinal win in the Summit League. To win, Coach Richman needs to make this adjustment. The Bison can dominate the boards, and getting second-chance points and limited the Golden Eagles is key. The Bison came back in the second half to really allow this game to come back and had a shot at winning it all. Abmas led the Oral Roberts basketball with 23 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. Obanor scored 21 points after fouling out and added 9 rebounds and one block. Rocky Kreuser led the Bison with his career-high 34 points, 9 rebounds, one steal, and one block.