UND women's basketball puts Oral Roberts on upset alert before falling in double overtime
GRAND FORKS The UND womens basketball team led by as many as five points in the first overtime period against Oral Roberts, but the Golden Eagles controlled the second extra period to hang on to a 98-91 win Thursday night at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
The Fighting Hawks led after the first three periods but were unable to close out the game.
ADVERTISEMENT Obviously, we aren't satisfied with the result, UND coach Mallory Bernhard said, but I think if we're sitting at a point and we're focused solely on result, then we're probably losing sight of the bigger picture.
I think the bigger picture is that we competed with a really, really good Oral Roberts team.
We took care of the ball a heck of a lot better than we had a week ago, for sure.
At the end of the day, we had a chance to win a game against a really good team.
I think we're seeing progress.
That's the goal.
That's what we're searching for right now is continual progress.
The loss, UNDs 10th of the year, is its fourth straight loss to Oral Roberts, which improved to 12-4 overall and 2-1 in Summit League play.
Golden Eagles guard Jalei Oglesby hit a jumper to tie the game at 74 with five seconds left in regulation.
UND freshman guard Jocelyn Schiller had the ball in her hands at the end of regulation and the first overtime period, but the Eagles defense shut down any chances, sending the game to a second overtime.
Walker Demers fouled out with two and a half minutes left in double overtime.
UND cut it within one point, but missed shots and offensive rebounds cost the Hawks the win.
Oral Roberts won the rebounding battle 43-35.
The Eagles grabbed 17 offensive boards to UNDs seven.
Those rebounds killed us in this game, UND guard Mikayla Aumer said.
We really have to finish plays, because we'll get stops.
But once the team gets their own rebound, you have a lot less of a chance of getting that stop.
We have to be able to finish plays.
ADVERTISEMENT Taleyah Jones 29 points led Oral Roberts.
Jalei Oglesby a reserve guard who earned the Summit Leagues Peak Performer of the Month honors in December scored nine of the first 11 points for the Golden Eagles en route to a 21-point, six rebound night.
Makyra Tramble had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Ruthie Udoumoh ended with 14 points and eight rebounds five of them offensive boards.
Even from seriously a week ago, it feels like there's been massive improvement, Bernhard said.
The last nine quarters of regulation, those two overtime quarters, we've played some really nice basketball.
Its about taking care of the ball.
Now these last two games, we've given up a lot of offensive rebounds, so that's probably the next thing on the list that we really need to start diving into and emphasizing.
UND shot over 50% from the field for the first time this season, helped by an .818 shooting percentage in the second quarter.
Kiera Pemberton, who temporarily left the game in the fourth quarter after holding her ankle, had a career-high 34 points Thursday night.
Pemberton and Demers each ended with eight rebounds.
Aumer added 18 points, and Schiller had 14 points and six rebounds.
The loss was UNDs first regular season overtime game since Feb.
3, 2022, at Denver.
ADVERTISEMENT It's fantastic for our team to be in these close, competitive games, Bernhard said.
We felt like we're right in the margin.
It's just those little things here and there.
If we can clean up that margin, then we might be flipping the game, like tonight.
But the hardest part of winning is the winning.
In regulation, really, we're one stop away.
The hardest part is just that last little bit to get you over the hump.
Its more than just those last plays, of course.
It's those offensive rebounds throughout the course of the whole fourth quarter, the whole 50 minutes, really.
But the hardest part is just that little margin that we have to fix..
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