Dec. 5, 2009
Box Score | Notes |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Senior Johnathon Jones scored a game-high 21 points and dished out four assists, while junior Keith Benson had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and junior Larry Wright scored a season-high 17 points to lead Oakland University (4-4, 1-0) past IPFW (2-4, 0-1), 84-76, in Summit League men's basketball action on Saturday night inside War Memorial Coliseum.
"Any win in the league on the road is a big win," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "Twenty-three out of twenty-five from the free throw line, that was huge. When you are on the road you have to make free throws. We got the lead out to double digits and they kept making runs on us. Defensively we were pretty good."
Benson posted his league-leading fourth double-double of the season and finished 8-for-9 from the free throw line. OU tied a single-game school record by shooting 92 percent (23-25) from the free throw line. Junior Will Hudson tallied nine points and eight rebounds for the Golden Grizzlies, while senior Derick Nelson grabbed 10 boards and scored six points.
The first 13 minutes of the game was pretty evenly matched with five lead changes and four ties. The Golden Grizzlies then seized control with an 11-0 run to take a 32-20 lead (4:37). The Mastodons crept back within seven points, but OU extended it back to 11 points at the half, 40-29.
Oakland shot 55 percent (16-29) in the opening 20 minutes and held IPFW to just 36 percent (12-34). Benson led the Grizzlies in scoring with nine points and grabbed eight rebounds in the opening half, matched by Wright's nine points.
After IPFW's Ben Botts connected on two straight 3-pointers to start the second half, Jones picked up a big steal for the Grizzlies at half court and laid one in off the glass plus the foul, converting the old-fashion three-point play and extended the lead back to eight, 43-35. The Mastodons got the game back within four points, but Benson had back-to-back old-fashion three-point plays to give the Grizzlies a 10-point advantage, 64-54 (8:54).
Sophomore Blake Cushingberry picked up a big offensive rebound with the lead at six points and was fouled, making both free throw shots to push the lead back to eight points, 73-65 (3:25). Botts made yet another huge 3-pointer for the Mastodons to bring them within four points, 74-70, but Jones answered for Oakland with a fade away jumper from the top of the key to push the lead back to six points, 76-70, with just 1:19 left in the game.
The Golden Grizzlies would once again get another big offensive rebound late, this time by Nelson with 31 seconds left and IPFW was forced to foul Jones who made both of his free throws and sent Oakland to the winner's circle.
The Golden Grizzlies will travel to East Lansing for an in-state battle with No. 9 Michigan State (6-2) on Thursday, Dec. 10, inside the Breslin Center. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. and will air on OU's flagship station WDFN-AM (1130) with Mario Impemba (play by play) and Tom Negoshian (color) calling the game.
