Different opponent. Different starting lineup. Same outcome.
The Oakland University men’s basketball team (8-10, 2-4 Summit League) dropped their sixth straight game on Thursday night, falling 71-61 to the Western Illinois Leathernecks (8-5, 3-2 Summit League). The defensive struggles continued for OU, as they allowed WIU to shoot 58.1% for the game; it was the seventh straight game in which the Grizzlies’ opponent was able to shoot better than 50% overall from the field.
Looking for a spark defensively, head coach Greg Kampe inserted freshman Kyle Sikora and sophomore Ryan Bass into the starting lineup in place of Corey Petros and Travis Bader. Freshman Dante Williams also started for the first time in five games. It worked for most of the first half – Western Illinois’ largest lead of the half was only eight – and the two teams went into halftime tied at 33.
A combination of slow-paced offense and 36 combined turnovers (20 for the Grizzlies, 16 for the Leathernecks) led to a 53-50 game with WIU on top with just under six minutes to go in the second half. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, several of those turnovers occurred rapid-fire, allowing Western Illinois to go on an 11-0 run in only about two and a half minutes. OU was never able to get closer than 10 the rest of the way.
Senior Reggie Hamilton was once again the top performer for the Grizzlies, filling the stat sheet with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, four steal, and one block. Drew Valentine also added 15, but the three other starters – Williams, Sikora and Bass – combined for just five points. Travis Bader reached double figures with 13 points, although 12 of those points came from beyond the three-point arc.
Just the third all-time win at the O’rena for WIU comes in the middle of a surprising season for the Summit League’s up-and-coming team from Macomb, Ill. For a team that has been thoroughly dominated by Oakland over the years – to the tune of 10 straight losses – the Leathernecks came to Rochester prepared and had answers for every OU basket.
Oakland concludes its three-game homestand against IUPUI (8-9, 2-3 Summit League) on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Jaguars, led by seniors Alex Young and Stephen Thomas, have struggled in their first season without former head coach Ron Hunter, but have quality wins against Ball State and Valparaiso this season, and had solid first halves against Georgetown and #4 Louisville before fading in the second half of both games.
Ref: OUGrizzlies, ESPN, WXYZ (image)
