by Josh McSwain
Tulsa, Okla. – An incredible second half rally by the North Dakota Men’s Basketball team fell just short Thursday night in Tulsa against Oral Roberts, as the Golden Eagles won the game 73-70. UND had two chances to tie the game in the final ten seconds but they both were just short. But in the final 20 minutes, after trailing 49-27 at the break, UND outscored ORU 43-24 and shot 11-20 from beyond the arc.
Treysen Eaglestaff led the Hawks in points with 15, going 5-5 from three point range. Tsotne Tsartsidze produced his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 boards. He also led the team with six assists. Matt Norman drilled four three pointers for 12 points, making it a dozen games in double figures for him. Jalun Trent also reached double figures with 11 points. Max Abmas, who played all 40 minutes, led Oral Roberts with 19 points.
In the first half, Oral Roberts was hotter than July at the Grand Canyon as they shot 20-31 from the floor (64.5%) and had their largest lead of the half as they went into the locker room up 49-27. Tsartsize was the top Hawk in the half as he led the Hawks with both nine points and seven boards.
ORU scored the first five of the second half to go up 54-27, but starting with a Trent three pointer the tables were about to turn.
Trent’s shot started a 37-11 run that ultimately got the Hawks within one point. During the stretch UND shot 13-21 from the floor and a scintillating, Stephen Curry-esque 9-11 from beyond the arc. Eaglestaff buried three of them, Norman and Trent each got two, B.J. Omot and Tsartsize each added one.
With 10:32 left in the half, Eaglestaff buried a three to make it a ten point game at 61-51. His next three at the 8:43 mark brough the Hawks back within single digits for the first time since the 10:47 mark of the first half. A layup from ORU made it a ten point game temporarily, but from there three straight threes from UND made it a one point game as Norman made back to back threes and Omot capped off the run to make it a one point game at 65-64.
With 4:28 to go it was 70-67, and from there it was as if the spigot of offense was turned off. The final points of the game was a three pointer from Brady Danielson with 48 seconds left. With 20 seconds left Abmas missed a three pointer that kept it a three point game for UND, and with ten seconds left UND had the ball and a chance to tie it up. But two chances from downtown wouldn’t go down for the Hawks.
