Nov. 20, 2008

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ROCHESTER, Mich. - Sophomore Brittany Carnago scored 14 points with six rebounds and a career-high six blocks, junior Melissa Jeltema added 13 points with eight rebounds, and senior Jessica Pike added 11 points with seven rebounds, but the Oakland University women's basketball team (2-1) was unable to overcome a cold first-half start, dropping a 64-61 heartbreaker to the No. 23 Georgia Lady Bulldogs on Thursday night at the Athletics Center O'Rena.

"Being that close and to have a chance to knock off a ranked opponent and then lose by one, I was really proud of the players," said head coach Beckie Francis. "They really fought back. I loved how they were whipping the ball away from them, diving on the floor and they just kept fighting. I told them in the locker room that, 'It's a good sign. There's a lot more games to play, just keep your heads up.'"

The Golden Grizzlies quickly found themselves trailing as Georgia opened the contest on a 7-0 run over the first three minutes. Senior Riikka Terava drilled a jumper at the 16:41 mark to pull OU to within 7-2, but the Lady Bulldogs quickly pulled back ahead by nine (15-6) with 12:58 remaining. OU used an 8-0 run to narrow the gap to one (15-14) at the 10:54 mark after a fast break layup by senior April Kidd, but UGA used a10-0 run to extend their lead to 28-16 with just over seven minutes remaining.

UGA led by as many as 13, taking a 12-point (42-30) lead into the intermission. The Lady Bulldogs held a 42.5 to 24.3 percent shooting advantage, while controlling points in the paint, outscoring the Golden Grizzlies 18-4 on the inside.

Trailing by 10 (58-48) at the 6:41 mark, OU staged a furious 10-0 rally to knot the contest at 58 with 2:42 remaining as Kidd once again gave OU a fast break layup after a steal. On UGA's next trip down, the Lady Bulldogs missed their first two shots, grabbing offensive rebounds on both, before Porsha Phillips hit a layup at the 2:00 mark to give UGA the lead once again.

Jeltema iced a pair of free throws to tie the game at 60, and another key steal by Kidd gave OU the chance to take the lead with under 90 seconds to play; but the Golden Grizzlies were unable to convert and Georgia quickly answered with a bucket to pull ahead 62-60.

Kidd drew a foul with under a minute to play and split a pair of free throws, pulling OU back to within one (62-61), but a turnover in the final ten seconds put the ball back in Georgia's hands, OU was forced to foul. Angela Puleo converted a pair of freebies with two seconds remaining, pushing the Lady Bulldogs lead to three, and OU was unable to get a shot on their final possession.

In a game that was virtually even statistically, Georgia held a slight advantage in rebounding (45-42) and in shooting percentage, leading OU 37.3 percent to 34.4 percent. OU rebounded from a cold-shooting performance in the first half, upping their percentage from 24.3 percent in the opening 20 minutes to 48.1 percent in the final 20 minutes.

The Golden Grizzlies will return to action on Sunday, Nov. 23, as they travel to No. 21 Purdue for a 2 p.m. contest.

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