Jan. 16, 2010

Box Score | Quotes | Notes

ROCHESTER, Mich. - Sophomore Sharise Calhoun registered a career-high 18 points, surpassing her previous mark of 13 in the first 12 minutes of the game, as the Oakland University women's basketball team (7-10, 3-3) defeated Southern Utah (4-13, 2-4) 78-45 Saturday afternoon at the Athletics Center O'Rena.

"I am pleased with how everybody played tonight, especially those who came off the bench," said head coach Beckie Francis. "We never had a lull and it didn't matter who we put in. It really contributed to how hard we worked in practice all week."

Calhoun got the Golden Grizzlies rolling right off the bat, scoring seven quick points in half's opening four minutes, giving them an early 11-2 advantage. From there, Oakland remained in the driver's seat for the remainder of the half, finishing on a 27-14 run to put the Black and Gold up 38-16 going into halftime.

The T-Birds got within shouting distance early in the second half when they put up five fast points to bring score to 40-21 at 17:36. But a three-point play by freshman Bethany Watterworth just seconds later put OU up over 20 points once again, 43-21 with 17:17 left to play.

Oakland continued to dominate offensively, outscoring Southern Utah 40-29 in the second half, and would lead by as many as 33 points, a margin they carried with them through the end of the game with a 78-45 final score.

In addition to Calhoun, Watterworth also scored in double-digits with 15 points and senior Hanna Reising added 13 points and six rebounds off the bench. Freshman Kristin Turner matched her career-high in league play scoring with eight points.

The Golden Grizzlies out-rebounded the T-Birds, 44-29, and committed 12 turnovers compared to SUU's 19. OU also shot 49 percent from the floor, compared to Southern Utah's 30 percent.

Oakland will close out their home stand when they face off against UMKC on Monday, Jan. 18 for a 6:30 p.m. tip. The game can be followed via All Access or Gametracker at www.ougrizzlies.com.

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