March 9, 2009
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Sophomore Will Hudson led five players in double figures with 15, senior Dan Waterstradt scored a career-high 13 points off the bench, and sophomore Keith Benson had a double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks, to lead Oakland University (21-11) to its eighth-straight win tonight, defeating No. 6 seed IPFW (13-17), 75-62, in the quarterfinals of the Summit League Tournament on Sunday inside the Sioux Falls Arena.
"I thought it was a very physical game," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "They weren't going to call a foul on every play, so the game began physical and ended that way."
The Golden Grizzlies tied a school record with their eight-game winning streak. It matches an eight-game streak during the 1994-95 season.
Senior Erik Kangas finished with 11 points but left the game with an injury with just over two minutes left in the game. Junior Johnathon Jones scored 11 and dished out nine assists, despite sitting out the final nine minutes of the first half due to foul trouble.
OU tied a single-game tournament record with 10 blocks in the game. The Golden Grizzlies also shot 62 percent (26-42) and outscored the smaller Mastodons 16-2 in the paint in the opening 20 minutes.
With JJ in foul trouble, freshman Matt Samuels stepped in and contributed with eight points, all from the free throw line going a career-best 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. The Golden Grizzlies led by as many as 15 points in the first half, 29-14, with three minutes remaining, but the Mastodons outscored Oakland 13-6 to creep within eight points at the break, 35-27.
The Grizzlies maintained a double-digit lead until IPFW rallied to within seven points, 57-50, with 6:33 on the clock. Waterstradt then connected on a big 3-pointer as the shot clock was winding down and that sparked a quick 6-0 run to keep the Mastodons from getting within striking distance.
The second-seeded Golden Grizzlies will face No. 7 seed South Dakota State (13-19) tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m. ET. The game can be followed on ESPN Full Court and ESPN360.com.
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