Dec. 31, 2009
Box Score | Quotes | Notes
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Oakland University (8-7, 2-0) overcame a 39 percent (27-69) shooting percentage by turning Western Illinois (5-7, 0-3) over 19 times and committed just three to defeat the Leathernecks, 75-63, in Summit League men's basketball action on Thursday afternoon inside the Athletics Center O'Rena. The Golden Grizzlies had four players in double figures, led by junior Keith Benson's 20 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
"I think it's a great win for us," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "Defensively, I thought we did a great job when that run started to come in the second half when they cut it to five or six points. We really executed: JJ (Johnathon Jones) made a jump shot from just inside the free throw line with a guy hanging on him as the shot clock was winding down and I thought that was big. Of course, (Derick) Nelson's 3-pointer was pretty big and (Keith) Benson also hit a three. They did some big things for us and that's a sign of a veteran team, a sign of maturity and sign of a team that has learned things from the past."
Senior Johnathon Jones tallied 17 points and four assists, while senior Derick Nelson and junior Larry Wright each had 12 points. Nelson grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and three steals.
WIU had three players in double figures, led by Ceola Clark with 16. James Granstra added 14 points for the Leathernecks, while David Nurse posted 10.
The Golden Grizzlies have won 12 straight league games inside the O'Rena and have won seven consecutive games versus the Leathernecks. OU has won 19 of its last 20 games at home.
The first half was closely contested as the Leathernecks held the lead for most of the half. OU trailed by as many eight early in the half, but rallied late to take a one-point lead at the break, 33-32.
A 9-0 run midway through the first half created the first double-digit lead for the Grizzlies as the score moved to 50-40 with 13:19 left in the game. The Leathernecks got as close as five points four minutes later, but OU extended its lead back to 10 points at the 5:38 minute mark. Oakland would outscore WIU by two points down the stretch, 11-9, to earn the hard fought victory.
Oakland will host IUPUI (10-5, 3-0) on Saturday, Jan. 2, at 5:30 p.m. The game will be regionally-televised on FS DETROIT and will air on the radio at WXOU-FM (88.3).
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