Bison Women Draw South Dakota State at Summit League Tournament

ELMHURST, Ill. - Oral Roberts University will enter The Summit League Women's Basketball Championship as the top seed for the second straight year. Eight teams begin play at the tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, March 5 and will determine The Summit League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in the championship game on Tuesday, March 8.

The Golden Eagles (20-9, 16-2) enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive year. ORU currently leads the nation in steals per game (15.0) and is second in scoring offense (85.2) ORU will take on No. 8 Western Illinois (8-20, 6-12) in the first quarterfinal at Noon (CT) on March 5 (Midco Sports Net).

The second quarterfinal of the day features No. 2 seed IPFW (19-9, 13-5) and No. 7 UMKC (14-15, 9-9) at 2:30 p.m. (Midco Sports Net). The Mastodons' No. 2 seed is the highest in league history and their 13 league wins set a school record.

Quarterfinal play resumes Sunday with No. 4 Oakland (18-11, 12-6) vs. No. 5 Southern Utah (16-13, 10-8) at Noon (Midco Sports Net). The second game of the afternoon features No. 3 South Dakota State (16-13, 12-6) against No. 6 North Dakota State (13-15, 9-9) at 2:30 p.m. (Midco Sports Net). The Jackrabbits are on a five-game winning streak, the longest of any league team and have won the league tournament the last two seasons, including last year as the No. 3 seed.

The winners of the 1 vs. 8 and 4 vs. 5 games will meet in the first semifinal Monday at Noon (Midco Sports Net/ESPN Full Court/ESPN3) while the winners of the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 games will advance to the second semifinal at 2:30 p.m. (Midco Sports Net/ESPN Full Court/ESPN3).

Tuesday's championship game is set for 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

The Summit League will be playing its tournament in Sioux Falls for the third consecutive season. For the second straight year, all men's and women's tournament games will be televised, including five men's contests that will have a national reach via ESPN Full Court plus the title game that will air nationally on ESPN2.

Tickets for the 2011 Summit League Basketball Championship can be purchased at all TicketMaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Sioux Falls Arena Box Office.

All men's quarterfinal and semifinal games can be seen online through SummitTV live streaming with three available purchase options. For $4.95, fans can select any quarterfinal or semifinal game, for $14.95 fans can purchase all men's quarterfinal and semifinal games or for $19.95 fan can purchase a full package that includes all of the men's and women's quarterfinal and semifinal action.

For complete information on this year's tournament, click on The Summit League Basketball Championship button at www.thesummitleague.org.