Box Score Macomb, Ill. (Jan. 16, 2006) ???C Calvin Wooten (Detroit, Mich.) scored 10 of his team-high 19 points in the opening minutes of the second half that proved to be the difference in the game as the Golden Grizzlies took an important road Mid-Con men???s basketball win over Western Illinois, 76-64. OU had three players in double figures and held off a late Leatherneck rally to pick up its first conference road win of the season. Things started slowly in the contest, with the first four minutes of the game seeing only nine points scored. Oakland (7-11, 2-4 Mid-Con)put in six of them, taking the early lead on a jumper in the lane from Derick Nelson (Lansing, Mich.). The Golden Grizzlies then ran off the next seven points, taking a 13-3 advantage after a conventional three-point play from Patrick McCloskey (Marshall, Mich.) at the 12:36 mark. OU made it a 10-0 run after a three-point shot from David Carson (Gary, Ind.) before Western Illinois (5-11, 1-4 Mid-Con) broke a six and a half minute drought with a three-pointer from Chris Gonzalez. Oakland maintained an eight to 10-point lead for the rest of the half. The Golden Grizzlies had their biggest advantage of the half when Keith MacKenzie (Macomb Township, Mich.) sank a trey at the 6:14 mark that made it 26-13. The Leathernecks then got four straight to cut the lead down to seven on a pair of David Jackson free throws, but OU got a hoop from Rick Billings (Detroit, Mich.) to halt the small run. Oakland???s defense did the trick in the opening 20 minutes, holding WIU to just 36 percent shooting and forcing 12 turnovers, as the Golden Grizzlies held Western scoreless the last two minutes and got a bucket from Vova Severovas (Vilnius, Lithuania) with 45 seconds left to take a 31-22 halftime lead. After scoring just three points in the first half, Wooten came out firing in the second half, canning a pair of treys on his way to 10 points in the first five minutes that lifted Oakland to a 44-29 lead. Fueled by some strong shooting, OU continued to build on its lead and took an 18-point advantage on another trey from Carson. Oakland???s defense continued to hold the Leathernecks at bay, holding them without a field goal for over three minutes in the middle of the half to keep the Oakland lead from shrinking. Carson again connected from downtown, this time putting Oakland up 64-45 with 7:20 left in the game. With the lead near the 20-point mark, the Golden Grizzlies slowed the game down to protect the lead over the last five minutes of the contest. Western used a press to make a run over the final minutes and closed the gap to 68-59 on a Jackson basket, but OU hit five straight free throws in the final minute to clinch the win. In addition to Wooten, Severovas added 16 points with Nelson nearly getting a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Jackson led Western Illinois with 19 points. Oakland had another strong night shooting the ball, hitting 56 percent of its shots while it held WIU to just 39 percent. Oakland will finish its Mid-Con road swing with a game at Oral Roberts on Jan. 19 starting at 8:05 Eastern.