March 8, 2014
Box Score | Notes
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Bethany Watterworth recorded a double-double and Elena Popkey added 18 points as the Oakland women's basketball team (13-16, 8-8 HL) won its final regular season game of the season with a 79-66 victory over Milwaukee (8-21, 4-12 HL). OU finishes league play with a record of 8-8.
"I thought our team really bounced back well after the game at Green Bay," said coach Jeff Tungate. "I thought we played very well defensively and hard right from the tip. We made shots and attacked the rim. All the things we've been trying to do all year on a consistent basis for 40 minutes. But the big thing was we guarded and that's a great sign heading into the conference tournament."
Watterworth scored 23 points with a pair of triples and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. It also marks her 100th career double-digit point game. Popkey had nine rebounds to go with her 18 points and started the game 5-5 from the floor. Olivia Nash recorded 14 points for her second-straight double-digit point performance, while Kim Bee had 11 points with eight boards.
Oakland held a 44-33 lead at intermission and led by as many as 20 points. OU used a 15-2 run over a five-minute stretch to take a 29-14 advantage midway through the first period. Popkey and Nash each had 12 points in the half and Watterworth added 11 as OU shot 45.7 percent and held UWM to 31.3 percent from the field.
In the second half, OU pushed its lead to 21 points behind a 9-0 run to make the score 66-45 halfway through the period. Kim Bee had nine of her 11 points in the half. OU outrebounded UWM 32-23 in the second period.
The Panthers were led by Avyanna Young with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Ashley Green added 15 points.
The Golden Grizzlies will be the No. 6 seed and will take on No. 3 Youngstown State in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament on Wednesday, March 12 at the Beeghly Center. The winner will travel to Green Bay for the semifinal matchup against the winner of No. 2 Wright State and No. 7 Milwaukee.
#FightOakland
