Max Abmas scored 36 points but it wasn’t enough as ORU (11-10, 8-5 in the Summit League) 84-86 to South Dakota Saturday afternoon in Vermillion, South Dakota.

A Sunday rematch was canceled because of coronarivus concerns in South Dakota.

USD’s A.J. Plitzuweit led all scorers with 37 points including two free throws with 2.8 seconds left to seal the victory.

Abmas matched his career best by hitting seven 3-pointers on just nine attempts and posted a 36-point performance on the road.  He was nearly flawless in the second half as the redshirt sophomore made 7-of-8 shots, including all four from distance, and made all three free throws.

Abmas reached 20 or more points for the seventh-straight game as the Rockwall, Texas, native shot 72 percent on 13-of-18 from the floor.

Oral Roberts ends the regular season with two home games against Western Illinois: at 7 p.m. February 27 (Saturday) and at 7 p.m. on February 28 (Sunday). The ORU games against Southwestern Christian (December 5) and Tulsa (December 12) were postponed and may not be played this season.  The December 19 game against the University of Texas-Arlington was cancelled.

The 2021 Summit Leagues Men’s Basketball Championship will be March 6-9 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The winner  gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  The top eight teams in the regular season advance to the league semifinals with two games on March 6 and two games on March 7.

 The semifinals are March 8 and the championship game will be March 9.