Dec. 17, 2009

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ROCHESTER, Mich. - Senior Melissa Jeltema set a career-high in points and came just shy of a double-double with 25 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn't enough to put the Golden Grizzlies on top as the Oakland University women's basketball team (2-7) dropped a tight 68-62 decision to Saint Louis University (4-6) Thursday evening at the Athletics Center O'Rena.

"That was a frustrating game because I felt like we had it," said head coach Beckie Francis. "We just had some mental errors in bringing the ball over and obviously, I have to do a better job of getting my team ready and teaching them some composure."

The Billikens got on the board first with a 3-pointer by Katie Paganelli at 18:57 and would hold onto the lead for almost the entire first half. After leading by as many as nine points with a 22-13 score with 10 minutes to go, Oakland went on a seven-point tear to cut the game within two points, 22-20 with just over nine minutes in the half. But SLU was able to keep Oakland at bay and carried a 33-28 lead going into halftime.

The Golden Grizzlies turned up the heat in the second half by opening with an 11-4 run, including a 37-37 tie on a pair of Jeltema free throws at 15:40. Soon after, the Grand Rapids, Mich. native connected with a layup on a fast break to give Oakland a 39-37 lead with 15:18 left to play.

From there, the contest went through six ties, with neither team holding more than a three-point advantage over the other. A pair of free throws by senior Riikka Terava gave OU a 61-58 lead with just over four minutes to play, but the Billikens found their way on top again at 2:33 with four straight points by SLU's Lauren Woods for a 63-61 lead.

Jeltema was able to cut the lead to one point with a free throw at 2:12, but a costly Oakland turnover with just over a minute to go turned into a SLU three point lead, 65-62 with 59 seconds on the clock. The Billikens sank three free throws in the final minute to put them on top, 68-62.

In addition to leading both teams in scoring, Jeltema also tallied a career-high three blocks and freshman Victoria Lipscomb dished out a career-high six assists. Freshman Bethany Watterworth also scored nine points and pulled down six boards. The Billikens had four players in double figures, with Amanda Kemezys and Paganelli leading the way with 17 points apiece.

Both teams were nearly equal in rebounding, with SLU's 34 to Oakland's 33. The Golden Grizzlies held the advantage in blocks 4-3 and committed fewer turnovers with 17 compared to Saint Louis' 18. OU also shot 40 percent from the floor.

The Golden Grizzlies will next hit the road for a pair of Big Ten contests against Illinois on Saturday, Dec. 19 and Penn State on Monday, Dec. 21. Both games can be followed via Gametracker at www.ougrizzlies.com.

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