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ROCHESTER, Mich. - Senior Keith Benson had his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while junior Reggie Hamilton led all scorers with 23 points and added seven assists, to lead Oakland University (4-3, 1-0) to an 85-61 victory over Southern Utah (2-5, 0-1) in Summit League men's basketball action on Thursday at the Athletics Center O'Rena.

"It's a good win for us," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "I was worried about them (Southern Utah) because they have size and can create problems. I was really pleased with us defensively tonight and if it wasn't for that kid (Ryan Brimley) making those threes at the end, they would have shot in the 30s (percentage)."

The Golden Grizzlies have now won 14 straight games at home and 21 consecutive wins in the O'Rena against league opponents. OU shot a season-high 53 percent (32-61) in its first home game of the season.

Sophomore Drew Valentine posted career-highs with 12 points and seven assists for the Grizzlies. Senior Will Hudson tallied 11 points and eight rebounds to round out double figure scorers for Oakland.

Ray Jones led the way for the Thunderbirds with 13 points, while Ryan Brimley and Tyson Koehler each scored 12 points. OU became just the second team of the season to outrebound the T-Birds, 35-31.

The first half witnessed six lead changes and four ties, but Oakland used a 12-4 run to end the half with a 31-24 lead after Hudson threw down a dunk as time expired.

The Golden Grizzlies came out on a 20-10 run to extend their lead to 17 points, 51-34, with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game. Oakland would extend that lead all the way to 23 points late in the second half to cruise to its 12th straight win over a league opponent.

The Golden Grizzlies will host UMKC (4-2, 0-1) on Saturday for a 6 p.m. tip inside the O'Rena. The game can be followed via live stats and web stream on OUgrizzlies.com.

-OAKLAND-