Box Score
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Sophomore Melissa Jeltema scored 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds, junior Jessica Pike added 14 points with five rebounds and five assists, and junior April Kidd added a 13-point, six rebound effort to pace the Oakland University women???s basketball team (16-9, 9-6 Summit League) to a 66-62 victory over the IUPUI Jaguars (13-15, 9-7 Summit League) on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics Center O???Rena. "We got stops and rebounds when we needed to," said head coach Beckie Francis. "(IUPUI???s Jernisha Cann and Julia Whitted) are among the top rebounders in the conference." The Golden Grizzlies opened the contest strong, taking a six-point (11-5) lead just over five minutes into the contest. The Jaguars quickly rallied, taking a lead at the 8:40 mark after a three-pointer by Christina Cunningham. The Grizzlies tied the contest just over 20 seconds later on an Aubrey Freshour jumper, and then Jeltema gave OU the lead with a layup on the Grizzlies' next possession. Whitted knotted the game for IUPUI with a layup of her own mere seconds later, and the Jaguars held the lead for nearly three minutes until senior Rachel Bryer hit a baseline jumper with 4:17 remaining to give OU a 25-24 lead with 4:17 left. The Grizzlies extended their lead to as many as seven (35-28) with under a minute remaining, but IUPUI narrowed the halftime margin to 35-30. IUPUI chipped into the Oakland lead in the opening minutes of the half, knotting the contest at 41-41 with 14:12 remaining. The two teams traded leads four more times down the stretch, but Jeltema broke the 11th tie of the game to give the Grizzlies the lead for good with a jumper with 2:57 remaining in the contest. The Grizzlies pushed their lead to as many as six (66-60) with 1:08 remaining. Despite being out-shot 46.4 percent to 40.3 percent from the field, the Grizzlies held a 45-30 advantage on the rebounding glass and forced 15 IUPUI turnovers. IUPUI's Whitted led all players with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Jeltema's 17 points led OU. Freshman Anna Patritto scored eight points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in the winning effort. "Our seniors really stepped up tonight," said Francis. "Charlese Greer had six rebounds, Liz Sowers played good defense, and Bryer hit a big shot as well." The Golden Grizzlies will play their final home game of the season on Monday, February 25, hosting Western Illinois for Senior Night at the Athletics Center O'Rena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. -30-