TULSA, Okla. — Cameron Fens recorded his fifth straight double-double but the South Dakota basketball team fell on the road 67-62 to Oral Roberts Saturday night at the Mabee Center.
Fens poured in 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but Uzziah Buntyn was the only other Coyote with double-digit points (14).
Ty Harper had the hot hand for the Golden Eagles as he had a game high 29 points on 8-of-17 shooting. He was a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line.
Both teams struggled to find the range as they combined to shoot 6-for-25 from deep. The Coyotes shot an uncharacteristic 15-for-26 (57.7%) from the free throw line, while ORU was 18-for-23 (78.3%). Oral Roberts controlled the glass with 40 rebounds to the Yotes’ 31 and had 11 offensive rebounds.
Turnovers hampered the Coyote attack early, as USD committed four turnovers in the first five minutes. Seven straight points from ORU saw the Golden Eagles take a 10-point lead 18-8 at the 12-minute mark. An eight-point swing, capped by a Fens and-one, closed the deficit to 22-20 four minutes later. The Yotes had chances to grab the lead, but the Golden Eagles would curb USD’s momentum and take a 35-31 lead at the half.
Fens was on his way to his double-double with 11 points and six boards in the first 20 minutes but was countered by Harper who had 16 for ORU.
South Dakota stayed within striking range in the second half, keeping the Oral Roberts lead to seven points or fewer, but the Golden Eagles led for the full 20 minutes. The Coyotes pulled within two points on six occasions and was within one point twice, including with 26 seconds remaining (63-62) following a free throw from Fens.
After a miss from ORU on the front end of a one-and-one, the Coyotes had a chance to take their first lead of the game with under 20 seconds left. Jordan Crawford’s layup rattled in and out, and after a rebound and two free throws from ORU, Crawford’s deep attempt to tie the game was off the mark. The Golden Eagles iced the game with two more free throws and picked up a 67-62 win.
The Coyotes return to the Sanford Coyote Sports Center to host Omaha on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Notes
- South Dakota moves to 14-15 on the season and 6-8 in the Summit League
- South Dakota and Oral Roberts split the regular season series, with each team picking up a win on its home floor
- Cameron Fens has now recorded a double-double in five straight games and has 12 on the season
- The Yotes have been held to four or fewer made 3-pointers in each of the last three games
Story Provided by GoYotes.com
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