Nov. 15, 2010
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | 
Game Highlights
ATHENS, Ohio - Sophomore Ledrick Eackles scored 18 points, senior Larry Wright tallied 15 points and a career-high nine rebounds and junior Reggie Hamilton posted 14 points and three assists to lead Oakland University (1-1) past Ohio University (1-1), 78-66, in men's basketball action on Monday night inside the Convocation Center.
"I am very pleased to come in here and win against a team like this in their building," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "Our depth really showed tonight with our pro player (Keith Benson) on the bench in foul trouble. To win a game like this, shooting free throws the way we did down the stretch and turning the ball over, is great. Our defense was outstanding."
Battling foul trouble, senior Keith Benson scored 10 points in the second half after missing 10 minutes in the first half and most of the second half. Eackles grabbed a career-high six rebounds, while junior Ilija Milutinovic was solid with eight points and nine rebounds.
The Golden Grizzlies used an 18-0 run in the first half to take a 22-6 lead with 7:48 remaining until halftime. Oakland lost Benson (9:32) and senior Will Hudson (8:42) due to foul trouble, but Milutinovic stepped up with seven first-half rebounds and six points as the Grizzlies took a nine-point lead at the break, 35-24.
Oakland pushed its lead back to 16 points in the second half and held a double-digit lead all the way until Ohio's Tommy Freeman buried his fifth three of the half to cut the deficit to just nine points, 74-65, with 38 seconds remaining. Wright then buried two free throws and OU would hold on for the double-digit win.
Freeman led all scorers with 22 points, while D.J. Cooper ended with 18 points for Ohio.
OU has now won 23 straight games when leading at the half, going back to last season. The Grizzlies held the Bobcats to 1-of-15 to start the game which allowed them to go on that big run early in the first half. OU finished 27-for-35 from the charity stripe, while the Bobcats finished 10-for-22.
The Golden Grizzlies will return to Rochester before hitting the road for eight days, beginning at No. 14/9 Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., on Nov. 21. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET and will air on OU's flagship station WDFN-AM (1130) with Mario Impemba (play by play) and Neal Ruhl (color).
