Box Score Cincinnati, Ohio (Nov. 15, 2003) ???C Senior Mike Helms (Detroit, Mich.) started his season off on the right foot, scoring 31 points this afternoon to lead Oakland past San Diego, 93-68, in the opening game of the Dell BCA Classic at the Cintas Center. The 31-point outburst set a new tournament record and got OU off to a 1-0 start and a berth in the winner???s bracket against either UC Irvine or Illinois-Chicago tomorrow at 6 p.m. Helms got the game started with one of his patented moves into the lane, drawing foul and draining both free throws to put the first points of the game on the board. Cortney Scott (Lansing, Mich.) got a lay-up on the next Golden Grizzly possession to put OU up 4-0 just one minute into the game. With Helms scoring 23 of his points in the first half, the early lead proved to be one that Oakland would keep the entire afternoon. Oakland could not put the Toreros away until later in the first half, however, as they managed to keep Oakland within striking distance and trailed by only six at 24-18 with eight minutes left in the half. That was when Helms took the game over for the next 90 seconds. He ignited an Oakland run with a three-point shot that saw OU out score San Diego 13-0. Helms wound up with 11 of those points, nine coming three-point shots, and suddenly the Golden Grizzlies had a 37-18 advantage with 6:29 left on the clock. San Diego could not make a dent in the lead and another Helms trey with four ticks left on the clock gave OU a 53-33 lead at the half. Playing with a short bench due to some early season injuries, San Diego managed to whittle down the lead in the second half with a 14-4 run that pulled the Toreros to within 14 points at 65-51 with 10:52 to play on a three-point shot Brett Melton. Kelly Williams (Detroit, Mich.) answered for the Golden Grizzlies with a three-point shot of his own and then Oakland forced a San Diego turnover that resulted in a Helms dunk that pushed the lead back to 19. Outmanned, San Diego could not mount another challenge and Oakland cruised home with the win. Helms added a pair of assists and steals to his totals to lead OU to the win. Every player on the Oakland roster scored in the contest, with Rawle Marshall (Detroit, Mich.) adding 19 points and seven rebounds and Williams cracking the double figures mark with 11 points. Scott led OU with 10 rebounds while newcomer DeMarcus Ishmeal (Detroit, Mich.) led the squad with five assists. Oakland hit just 41.4 percent of its shots, but canned 12 three point baskets along with way. Brice Vounang and Nick Lewis each recorded double-doubles for San Diego. Each player scored 19 points, with Lewis pulling down 13 rebounds and Vounang 11 more to lead the Toreros.