Oral Roberts rolls past NDSU

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Michael Craion scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to help Oral Roberts break open a close game and roll to a 71-57 victory over North Dakota State on Thursday night.

Craion, a 6-foot-5 junior who averages 13 points, was 8-of-10 from the field and had six rebounds in 26 minutes. Dominique Morrison added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Golden Eagles (12-10, 7-3 Summit), who swept the two-game season series with the Bison (7-13, 4-6).

Michael Tveidt led North Dakota State with 12 points and Josh Vaughan scored 11.

The game was tied at 37 with 14:44 left before a Craion layup ignited a 10-0 run for the Golden Eagles. Warren Niles contributed five points, including a 3-pointer, during that stretch.

Oral Roberts built its lead to 56-39 before Nate Zastrow’s basket with 5:30 left snapped North Dakota State’s streak of 16 consecutive missed shots from the field.

Kevin Ford’s block and dunk in a six-second span made it 61-41 with 4:43 remaining.

Oral Roberts outrebounded North Dakota State 45-34. Ford and the Bison’s Eric Carlson were the leading rebounders with nine each.

The Golden Eagles shot 46 percent from the field (27-of-59) compared to the Bison’s 36 percent (22-of-62). ORU won despite making only 1-of-11 attempts on treys and 16-of-30 free throws.

Oral Roberts, which beat Centenary last Saturday after losing to Tulsa on Jan. 20, has consecutive victories for the first time since a three-game winning streak in early December. North Dakota State has lost six of its last eight.

During the first half, the lead traded hands 11 times. Morrison’s two free throws with four seconds remaining in the half put Oral Roberts ahead 29-25, matching the biggest lead for either team before the break.

Tags: oral roberts, sports, basketball, ndsu, bison