Oral Roberts Seeks Season Sweep of North Dakota in Summit League Clash

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Interstat) — The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles look to solidify their position in the Summit League standings when they visit the struggling North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Thursday night at Engelstad Arena.

Oral Roberts (11-9, 4-3 Summit) enters with a significant edge in momentum, having handily defeated North Dakota 95-67 just over three weeks ago in Tulsa. The Golden Eagles have won three of their last five conference games, most recently falling 86-74 at Denver on Jan. 24 despite 18 points from Jalei Oglesby and 13 from standout guard Kayten Donley.

Donley has been a consistent force for Oral Roberts, averaging 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists over her last eight games. She posted 12 points in the earlier win over North Dakota this season.

North Dakota (4-16, 1-6) is mired in a difficult season, having lost 10 of its last 11 games. The Fighting Hawks are coming off a 72-54 road loss at St. Thomas on Jan. 24, where forward Walker Demers recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Demers, who scored 11 points in the first meeting with Oral Roberts, has been a bright spot, averaging 12.8 points and 7.5 rebounds over her last six contests.

The Fighting Hawks’ lone Summit League victory was a 75-54 home win over Omaha on Jan. 8, a game in which Demers exploded for 23 points. Replicating that offensive efficiency will be crucial against an Oral Roberts team that averages 76.2 points per game.

Oral Roberts’ conference results have been a mix of dominant wins and lopsided losses, including a 103-76 defeat at South Dakota State and an 83-61 victory at South Dakota. North Dakota has struggled to keep pace offensively, failing to reach 60 points in five of its seven league games.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CST Thursday. Following this game, Oral Roberts travels to face North Dakota State on Saturday, while North Dakota hosts Denver the same day.