Box Score SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The North Dakota men's basketball team saw their season come to an end Saturday night as they fell to Oral Roberts 96-80 in the first Summit League quarterfinal game. Five Hawks reached double figures as B.J. Omot led the way with 15 points, Treysen Eaglestaff and Tsotne Tsartsidze each had 11 and Mitchell Sueker and Matt Norman each scored ten. It was the first time five Hawks got into double figures since December 12th of 2022 against North Central, but the hot start from ORU proved too much for the Hawks to overcome.
Much like the game in Tulsa last month, ORU came out of the gates seemingly unable to miss. The Hawks were shooting well from the floor at 46.4% in the first half, but the threes were not going down for UND as they shot 2-12 from downtown while ORU shot 7-14 from beyond the arc in the first half to build a 56-31 halftime lead.
However, UND came out with energy in the second half determined to make it a game. The first six points of the half belonged to UND, with two layups from Norman and a coast-to-coast driving layup from Jalun Trent. ORU responded with a basket but the hot start for UND continued as they cut the ORU lead to 16 following a three from Brady Danielson to make it 60-44. The triple culminated a 13-4 run by the Hawks to open the half. But each time that UND looked to be gaining a little bit of momentum, ORU had an answer. The Hawks closed the game on 9-0 run, but it was too steep of a hill to climb.
The Hawks more than doubled their wins this season from a year ago, and tripled their wins in Summit League play; while also winning their first Summit League Tournament game in three years. With a young core returning next season, the future looks bright for the Hawks.
Postgame Notes
· Jalun Trent had eight rebounds to lead the team, with five in the first half.
· Norman and Danielson each had three assists to tie for the team lead.
· UND had a 13-6 edge in bench points in the first half.
· Treysen Eaglestaff shot 3-3 from three-point range.
· UND is now 3-9 in the all-time series against ORU.
How It Happened
First Half
- 14:47 – ORU 16, UND 8
- 10:52 – ORU 27, UND 11
- 7:47 – ORU 34, UND 22
- 2:44 – ORU 47, UND 24
- 0:00 – ORU 56, UND 31
Second Half
- 15:55 – ORU 60, UND 41
- 11:56 – ORU 74, UND 50
- 7:56 – ORU 81, UND 57
- 2:56 – ORU 92, UND 68
- 0:00 – ORU 96, UND 80
