TULSA, Okla. – South Dakota women's basketball was able to get revenge on an early season conference loss Saturday, defeating Oral Roberts 74-69 inside the Mabee Center in Tulsa.
 
Angelina Robles and Patience Williams stole the show Saturday, combining for 47 points and 16 rebounds for the Coyotes. Robles matched a career-high with 28 points, adding six rebounds, four assists and a steal. Williams totaled 19 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, adding two blocks and a steal.
 
A tightly contested first quarter resulted in a slim 18-16 lead for the Coyotes Saturday in the Mabee Center. The Coyotes went 7-for-9 from inside the arc, but an 0-for-5 mark from beyond the arc kept Oral Roberts in the game early. The Golden Eagles never led by more than a point in the quarter, but led 16-15 before Robles converted an old fashion three-point play to give USD the lead heading into the second.

The Coyotes cruised through the second quarter to build a 37-25 lead into the second half. Williams scored nine of USD's 19 points in the quarter, including back-t0-back layups to give the Coyotes their first 12-point lead of the game, at the time the largest of the game. Williams scored again with 44 seconds left, the final basket of the half, to put the Yotes up 12 at the break. Williams had 11 first-half points to lead South Dakota. Molly Joyce added 10 points in the first 20 minutes of action.
 
The South Dakota offense stayed consist with another 19-point third quarter, but Oral Roberts woke up on the offensive end in the third, scoring as many points in that 10-minute frame as the Golden Eagles scored in the first half in total. A 12-point advantage for USD was erased as a 15-2 Golden Eagle run gave Oral Roberts a 43-41 lead with 4:11 to go in the quarter.
 
The Coyotes responded with a seven-point run of their own, capped by a Joyce three-pointer, to put themselves up for good. South Dakota led by six after three quarters, and while the lead was never back in double digits, South Dakota didn't trail again after the 43-41 Golden Eagle lead in the third quarter.
 
Needing to hold onto a slim lead late, the Coyotes got boosts from their senior leaders, as Robles scored nine points in the fourth, including 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Williams added six points and converted two pivotal free throws in the final 10 seconds of the game to keep the Golden Eagles out of reach.
 
Moll Joyce added 14 points, including a pair of three-pointers, for USD in the win. The Coyotes finished the game shooting 44.8% from the field, but the first half efficiency (56%) helped USD build a lead. The Golden Eagles shot 41.0% from the field, but had a strong second half (51.6%) aided them in their comeback that ultimately fell short.
 
South Dakota won the rebound battle 42-33 in large part to strong showings on the glass for Elise Turrubiates (14 rebounds), and Williams (10). The Coyotes outscored Oral Roberts 42-26 in the paint as well. The Golden Eagles never led by more than two, while USD's largest lead was 12. Despite the tightly contested nature of the game, USD led for 37:15 of the game compared to just 1:05 of trailing the Golden Eagles.
 
South Dakota begins a three-game homestand Thursday against Kansas City. It is the annual Pink Game for the Coyotes with tip-off set for 7 p.m. in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
 
NOTABLES
• South Dakota is 19-6 on the season, 8-4 on the road, and 9-2 in Summit League play.
• Angelina Robles led the Coyotes in scoring, matching her career-high with 28 points, including 11-of-13 from the free throw line.
• Patience Williams totaled her third double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds Saturday.
• Molly Joyce added 14 points and three assists in the USD win.
• Elise Turrubiates racked up 14 rebounds to lead all players.
• The Coyotes outrebounded their opponent for a 18^th time, improving to 17-1 on the season when doing so.
• The Coyotes snapped a seven-game losing skid to Oral Roberts, marking the second seven-game streak USD has snapped against a conference foe (SDSU) in the last week.
• With nine conference wins, South Dakota is guaranteed a winning record in conference play for a 13^th time in 15 seasons in the Summit League.

   
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