Nittany Lions maul Golden Grizzlies in overtime
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — Oakland University and Penn State are months away from tournament time, but the two played out a game more suited for an NCAA-style atmosphere the than mid-November matchup.
Penn State used a couple of furious comebacks to force overtime, and outscored the host Golden Grizzlies 9-2 in the extra session to earn a 96-89 non-conference women’s basketball victory.
Oakland led by as many as 13 points in the first half and 44-32 at the break.
Penn State (3-0) closed the gap down to three points at 74-71 with 5:53 left in the contest, only to see the Golden Grizzlies build the lead back up to 86-76 with 2:45 left.
The Nittany Lions made one last push with an 11-1 run at the end of regulation with Maggie Lewis’ layup with eight seconds left setting the stage for overtime.
“I take my hat off to Oakland, I think they are en extremely well-coach team,” said Penn State coach Cocquese Washington, who hails from Flint, Michigan. “We were not under the impression that this was going to be anything less than a dogfight. Two years ago, Georgia came in here and won a close game 64-61 and last year Purdue come here and its only a seven-point game. When we played Oakland at home last year, they were ahead at the half by 12 and we were fortunate enough to pull it out.”
Penn State found another gear, outscoring Oakland 20-3 over the final three minutes of regulation and the four minutes of overtime. The same comeback happened last year, when the Nittany Lions stormed back from a 12-point half-time deficit to claim a 69-64 triumph.
“Oakland is undersized in height, but certainly not in heart,” said Washington. “I am very proud of our heart, determination and effort and I feel very fortunate that we were able to come back and pull this one out.”
Penn State opened overtime with a three-point play from Ariel Edwards and the Nittany Lions would not trail again.
Oakland (1-2) could only muster a lay-up from junior guard Sharise Calhoun with 1:42 to play in OT. The Grizzlies simply ran out of steam, going 1-for-8 from the floor in overtime.
Oakland, a team dominated by sophomores and freshmen, learned that they can play with teams from power conferences. The Grizzlies need to learn to be able to find another gear against teams from power conferences or in tight games.
“I don’t think we were winded (in overtime), I think they just made some big shots,” said sophomore forward Bethany Watterworth. “There were a couple of things down the stretch, where we needed to take care of the ball and get it in, the little things we need to work on. But we’re going to try to learn from this (loss). We just have to take the positives (from the game) and learn from the good things.”
Oakland trailed 2-0 early, but led throughout most of regulation. The Golden Grizzlies used their quickness to off-set Penn State’s front lint which features six players standing 6-foot-2 or taller, many whom received minutes in the contest.
“I think this team showed that we have tremendous heart, intensity” said Calhoun. “I was so proud of my teammates. We had some girls – step up – and this was a huge game. (If we play like this in league play), the Summit League is ours.”
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ON THE MOVE: Oakland freshman guard Elizabeth Hamlet dribbles past Penn State's Zhaque Gray during the first half of Thursday's non-leage game.
oach Beckie Francis felt her team did everything but win. The Golden Grizzlies were also not at full strength, as starting center Brittany Carnago was limited to nine minutes due to a sprained ankle and freshman guard Zakiya Minifee was injured in the second half and played gingerly after that point.
“I told the team in the locker room, if we can play that well (the whole season), it’s going to be a great year,” said Francis. “We were frustrated that we didn’t pull it out in the end. We made some mistakes. I am really proud of this team. Carnago was hurt and Z (Zikiya Minifee) has something wrong with her. We had some other people step in and play tough. We didn’t get a good bounce in the end.”
Calhoun led OU with 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting to go with six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Watterworth, who played all five positions on the floor, added 23 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two assists for Oakland, which landed four players in double figures.
Minifee added 14 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals, transfer Brittney Nelson chipped in with 12 points on the strength of 4-of-5 shooting from outside the arc, and Anna Patritto had nine points, five rebounds and three assists playing out of position.
Penn State had seven players score between 10 and 16 points, as Edwards and Zhaque Gray poured in 16 apiece. Alex Bentley added 15 points, six assists and four steals, Lucas scored 13, while Julie Trogele (15 rebounds), Mia Nickson and Gizelle Studevent all chipped in with 10 points for the Nittany Lions.
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Category: Oakland University
