Oct. 28, 2010

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ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Oakland women's basketball team will tipoff the 2010-11 season Friday with an exhibition game against Western Ontario at 2:30 p.m. at the Athletics Center O'Rena. The Golden Grizzlies also learned on Thursday that the team is receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.

The Golden Grizzlies are excited for the return of sophomore Bethany Watterworth, who was the team's second leading-scorer in 2009-10 with a 15.6 points per game average. The forward from Lake Orion, Mich. was picked as a preseason All-Summit League first team selection this season.

Also back on the court for OU, is junior center Brittany Carnago. The 6-4 native of St. Clair, Mich. set the school record with 89 blocks in 2008-09, but missed last season with an injury. Despite her absence from the league last season, Carnago still has the respect of coaches and media around The Summit League and was an All-Summit League second team selection.

The leadership of the 2010-11 team is entrusted to seniors Kirstie Malone (Brighton, Mich.) and Anna Patritto (Howell, Mich.). The team also returns junior guard Sharise Calhoun (Toledo, Ohio) and sophomore guard Victoria Lipscomb (Lansing, Mich.) who both had productive seasons with OU last year.

A number of players will debut with Oakland including junior guard Brittney Nelson (Rochester, Mich.) and redshirt freshman Elizabeth Hamlet (McBain, Mich.) who both spent last season learning the OU system. Senior Elizabeth Hafeli (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) will also make her first appearance for OU after transferring in from Adrian.

The Golden Grizzlies have four true freshman on the team: Jenna Bachrouche (Farmington Hills, Mich.), Amy Carlton (White Lake, Mich.) Malika Glover (East Lansing, Mich.) and Zakiya Minifee (East Lansing, Mich.). The latter two players were teammates at East Lansing High School where they won the Michigan Class A State title in 2010. Glover, Minifee and Lipscomb are a trio of players that all played together at ELHS.

The depth and skill of this year's team is what led CollegeInsider.com to reward the Golden Grizzlies with votes in its top 25 mid-major poll on Thursday. Oakland is one of three Summit League teams to make the publication, which tabbed Gonzaga as the top mid-major team in the nation.

Friday's opponent, Western Ontario, has been busy playing in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) league, compiling a 4-3 record. The Mustangs also played five exhibition matches against IUPUI(2), Tennessee - Martin and Eastern Michigan (2), which they finished with a 2-3 record.

Senior Matteke Hutzler leads the Mustangs' attack, averaging 14.13 points and 7.75 rebounds per-game during the team's exhibition play and games at the University of Alberta Panda Hoopfest. Guards Laura Dally (12.5) and Jenny Vaughan have also averaged double-digit points for Western Ontario during the early portion of the schedule.

Admission to the exhibition is free to the general public. For those that are unable to attend the contest, live stats are available. Oakland will also provide a live video stream for the game for premium All-Access members on OUGrizzlies.com so that fans can watch the game live over the internet.

-OAKLAND-