QUICK JUMPERS
* North Dakota return to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center to host four home games in the next two weeks. The Fighting Hawks beat St. Thomas 66-55 on Saturday, Jan. 15 to improve to an overall record of 10-8 and a 4-3 conference record.
* The Fighting Hawks had three players end in double figures against Western Illinois and St. Thomas. Kacie Borowicz and Melissa Leet were two players who ended both nights in the doubles.
* Melissa Leet led the Fighting Hawks with 22 points, which beat her prior single game high. She secured eight rebounds and had three blocks.
* Kacie Borowicz followed with 19 points and secured three rebounds.
* Olivia Lane ended the evening with a double-double netting 17 points and securing 13 rebounds.
* Kacie Borowicz earned Summit League TicketSmarter Player of the Week. She scored 52 points between the two games played this past week. She currently sits as the second leading scorer in the Summit as she averages 18.1 points per game.
* Oral Roberts currently leads the series, 5-1.
* The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles currently sit at a 9-8 overall record. They are currently 4-2 for conference play.
* North Dakota is currently averaging 67.7 points per game, and they are averaging 38.0 rebounds per game.
 * UND was ranked ninth in the Summit's Preseason Coaches' Poll. They currently sit fourth in the standings.
 
ON TAP
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks return to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center to host the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 20.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The University of North Dakota beat the St. Thomas Tommies 66-55 on Saturday afternoon. The Tommies took the lead early in the first with a three from Erin Norling, but Leet responded with a jumper on the next possession. Borowicz hit a floater to give the Fighting Hawks a 4-3 lead with 7:34 left in the quarter.  North Dakota ended the quarter up by seven (19-12). North Dakota started the second quarter with back-to-back baskets, but Maggie Negaard stepped up and hit a three to put the Tommies on the board. The second quarter was a continuous battle of back-and-forth baskets between the teams. The Tommies brought it within five with 4:02 left to play, but Leet hit a jumper to extend the Hawks' lead. As the half started to wind down, Lane hit a jumper and converted a three-point play to start the Hawks on a 9-2 run to end the half. North Dakota led 41-27 as they headed into the intermission. Coming out of the locker room, both teams hit a bucket within the first minute, but they both struggled to score again until Borowicz hit a shot with 7:41 left. As the quarter continued, the teams continued to match each other. At the end of the third quarter, the teams were again unable to score from 3:24 until the last second of the third, which is when Lane hit a layup to put the Hawks up 53-37. The Fighting Hawks were the first to net a basket again as the fourth quarter started. Manson hit a three, but Jade Hill responded on the next possession. This was not enough to push the Tommies into continuous action as the Fighting Hawks scored back-to-back to continue to add to their lead. The rest of the quarter, North Dakota continued to attack the Tommies and received responses from them. St. Thomas went on a 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough as the Fighting Hawks beat them 66-55. 
 
ALL-TIME WITH ORAL ROBERTS
The University of North Dakota is trailing Oral Roberts in the series 5-1. The last time that the two teams played each other was on Jan. 9, 2021. The Fighting Hawks fell to the Golden Eagles 82-90 in Tulsa, Okla.
 
BOROWICZ BURYING BASKETS
Kacie Borowicz has been a leader on the court for the Fighting Hawks since her return to play at the Montana State game. She has continued to be an impact on offense, which earned her Summit League TicketSmarter Player of the Week on Jan. 17. Against Western Illinois, Borowicz scored 33 points to match her single-game high, which she scored earlier in the season against Montana State. She ended the game against St. Thomas with 19 points, which resulted in a total of 52 points for the week. In the last four games, she has scored 92 points or an average of 23 points per game. Borowicz currently leads the team in points with an average of 18.1 per game, and she sits as the second leading scorer in the Summit League.
 
LEET'S LEAD
Melissa Leet finished the game against St. Thomas with 22 points and eight rebounds. In the game against Western Illinois, she dropped13 points and secured eight rebounds to help the Fighting Hawks in their victory. Leet ended the week with 35 points and 16 rebounds. She and Borowicz kept trading positions for leading scorer this week.
 
SCOUTING ORAL ROBERTS
Oral Roberts enters the game with a 9-8 overall record and a 4-2 conference record. The Golden Eagles opened their season at home with a 97-63 win against Rogers State. The Golden Eagles then hosted UNLV, but they fell 81-85. They headed on the road to Colorado State (56-71) and SMU (44-81) where they suffered their second and third losses. Their fourth loss would come as they hosted Tulsa (55-69) at home. Oral Roberts hosted the ORU Thanksgiving Classic, where they broke the losing streak wins against Arkansas State (81-62) and Little Rock (74-56). The Golden Eagles returned to road play with a game at Wichita State, which they lost 62-78.  They returned home and beat USAO (73-26) and Central Christian (120-52). They rounded out non-conference play by returning to the road to play Tarleton State (55-59) and Abilene Christian (69-66). Their first conference game was against the South Dakota Coyotes who they lost to 59-90. They then hosted the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and lost 51-71. Their Dec. 30 game against Denver was postponed, but they traveled to Omaha and beat the Mavericks 50-45. The Golden Eagles had two more games postponed due to COVID, but they returned to action in their rescheduled game against Denver where they won 62-53. They continued the winning streak at home against Kansas City (77-66) and St. Thomas (72-44).
 
NEXT UP
Following Thursday night's game, the University of North Dakota continues at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center against Kansas City on Jan. 22. The tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.