Feb. 13, 2010

Box Score | Notes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Senior Melissa Jeltema came just shy of a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds and freshman Bethany Watterworth scored 14 points in the first half as the Oakland University women's basketball team (13-12, 10-4 Summit League) defeated UMKC (11-13, 8-5 Summit League) 73-53 Saturday evening at the Municipal Auditorium.

"This was a great team win," said head coach Beckie Francis. "The team was really motivated tonight. I loved the job Riikka Terava did on Chazny Morris defensively, as well."

After trading baskets in the early minutes, the Golden Grizzlies took the lead for good off a jump shot in the paint by sophomore Sharise Calhoun at 15:33 to give OU a 9-7 lead. From there, the Black and Gold never turned back, thanks in part to a 16-2 run that had them leading by as many as 25 points, 36-11, with 8:43 to play in the half. Oakland would go on to carry a 41-28 lead after the first 20 minutes.

OU continued to build on their first half lead, holding as much as a 16-point edge before the Kangaroos whittled the Oakland lead to 10 points, 55-45, with 9:59 to play. But the Golden Grizzlies never let up offensively and once again brought their lead back up past 20, leading by as many as 23 points, 73-50, with 1:13 to go, before walking away with the 73-53 victory.

Calhoun was the other Golden Grizzly in double figures with 13 points and added seven rebounds. Seniors Hanna Reising and Riikka Terava each tallied eight points and senior Stacey Farrell tied a season-high five assists.

For UMKC, LeAndrea Thomas scored 12 points, leading the offensive front. Morris, the league's third-leading scorer with 15.8 points per game, was held to just nine points.

Oakland held a 42-29 advantage in rebounding, including a 28-15 edge on the defensive boards, but committed more turnovers with 21 compared to UMKC's 16. OU also shot 49 percent from the floor compared to 36 percent from the 'Roos, marking a 13-0 record this season when Oakland holds their opposition to under 60 points.

The Golden Grizzlies will conclude their final road swing of the season with a stop at Southern Utah on Monday Feb. 15. The game is scheduled for a 9 p.m. EST start and can be followed via All Access or Live Stats at www.ougrizzlies.com.

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