Jan. 11, 2010

Box Score | Notes

TULSA, Okla. - Senior Melissa Jeltema led the Golden Grizzlies with her fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Oakland University women's basketball team (6-10, 3-2 Summit League) snapped their four-game winning streak with a 77-62 decision to Oral Roberts (10-7, 3-3 Summit League) Monday evening at the Mabee Center.

"Today, we were met with a tough and determined Oral Roberts basketball team," said head coach Beckie Francis.

The first half see-sawed between the two teams in the half's opening 12 minutes, with neither team leading by more than five points and going through five ties. The Golden Eagles then caught fire at the 7:57 mark, rolling out a 25-11 scoring run that was capped off by buzzer-beating jumper to give ORU a 43-27 lead going into halftime.

The Golden Eagles carried that momentum into the second half, scoring six points in the opening minute to give them a 20-point lead, 49-29. But then it was Oakland's turn to go on a run, outscoring ORU 10-2 to cut the lead to single-digits, 56-47, with just under 11 minutes to play. But ORU was able to keep the Golden Grizzlies at bay for the remainder of the contest by keeping a double-digit lead within 15 points.

While Oakland cut the lead to back 11 points, 73-62, with 38 seconds to play, ORU was able to sink their free throws to hold on for the 77-62 victory.

In addition to Jeltema, two other Golden Grizzlies finished in double-figures. Freshman Bethany Watterworth registered 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while sophomore Sharise Calhoun scored a career-best 10 points in Summit League play and notched a season-best seven rebounds.

For Oral Roberts, Kevi Luper led all players on the floor with 24 points, while Jaci Bigham had 18 points and Alex Adekunle scored a career-high 13 points.

Oakland dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Golden Eagles 51-35, and shot 36 percent from the floor compared to ORU's 38 percent. The Golden Grizzlies committed a season-high 29 turnovers, however, and lost 28 points to those throwaways.

The Golden Grizzlies will next host a pair of home league contests, with Southern Utah on Saturday, Jan. 16 for a 3:30 p.m. tip and UMKC on Monday, Jan. 18, starting at 6:30 p.m. Both games can be followed via All Access or Gametracker at www.ougrizzlies.com.

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