To be clear, Tuesday night was about Oral Roberts.
The Golden Eagles’ romp at the Summit League Tournament championship was bookended by a fast start and Francis Lacis turning himself into a wall to clinch ORU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 years. It was a special night, and there’s plenty of well-deserved press to come on the Golden Eagles.
But in between was a furious North Dakota State comeback that will vanish into the March mist. That’s inherently unfair, but part of what makes this month so fun.
That the second half of the Summit League title was garnering any of the general college basketball universe’s attention alongside BYU pestering Gonzaga was a minor miracle. As they did in the semifinals against South Dakota, the Bison entered the locker room at halftime behind on the scoreboard. But unlike against the Coyotes, it looked like the game had already been settled.
As it turned out, trailing at the half was right where North Dakota State wanted to be.
For the second consecutive game against South Dakota, the Bison were able to turn a half deficit into a crucial win, the most recent sending them to the Summit League Tournament final. NDSU’s 79-75 win over the Coyotes in the semifinal locked in a third straight appearance for the Bison in the title game.
The game, however, still seemed in the balance late.
USD led by nine with seven minutes left until senior Rocky Kreuser and junior Sam Griesel carried the Bison down the stretch to overturn the deficit and punch NDSU’s ticket to its third straight final in Sioux Falls. Griesel who scored 16 points and went 6-8 from the free throw line talked about the team’s second half performance in the postgame press conference.
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NDSU Men Stay Undefeated In Summit League
The Bison defeated the Omaha Mavericks 80-66 on Saturday evening at the SHAC for their fourth Summit League win in as many games
January 9, 2021
FARGO, ND – The North Dakota State Men’s Basketball was already off to its best Summit League start through three games since 2017. The Bison made it four after tonight. Dave Richman’s cohort defeated the Omaha Mavericks, 80-66, to improve to (4-0) in league play.