Oakland moves home win streak to six game in victory over Dartmouth

ROCHESTER – Sophomore Bethany Watterworth had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Zakiya Minifee added 13 points to lead the Oakland women’s basketball team to a 65-52 win over Dartmouth at the Athletics Center O’Rena on Thursday.

The Golden Grizzlies have now won six consecutive home games this season.

“I was very proud that we were able to get another home win against a very good team,” said Oakland head coach Beckie Francis. “Dartmouth has been to the NCAA Tournament and has won a number of Ivy League Championships. They are a well-coached team and I am very proud of our players.”

Watterworth, who has scored in double-digits in 10 of 11 games this season, found her stride late in the first half hitting a basket with 5:50 to play that put Oakland (7-4) ahead by double-digits for the remainder of the game. Watterworth proceeded to score 11 of her 18 points in the second half and was a factor for OU down low, where the Golden Grizzlies outscored the Big Green 36-14 in the paint.

Dartmouth (3-6) scored the first basket of the game, before Oakland responded with an 18-6 run that was capped by a 3-pointer by senior Kirstie Malone. The Golden Grizzlies were able to race out to a 34-20 halftime lead thanks to an 18-0 advantage in fast break points, with Malone leading the way by scoring a season-high nine points in the first half. She finished the game with a career-high 11 points.

OU finished the game with a 26-2 edge in fast break-scoring led by junior guard Sharise Calhoun, who scored eight points and had six assists. The Golden Grizzlies came into the game ranked 11th in the nation with an average of 19.9 assists per game and finished the game with 21 helpers. Calhoun and Minifee were also strong on the glass collecting nine and seven rebounds respectively, as Oakland out-rebounded Dartmouth 46-32. It was just the fifth time that OU has won the rebounding battle this season.

With leading scorer and former Ivy League Player of the Year, Brittney Smith, sidelined through injury, Sasha Dosenko led the Big Green with 11 points. Faziah Steen, a native of Kalamazoo, Mich. also reached double-digits with 10 points on 3-for-17 shooting. OU held the visitors to just 31 percent shooting from the field.

Oakland also finished the game with a season-high 14 blocked shots, led by the seven-block effort of junior Brittany Carnago. One of the most prolific shot blockers in OU history, Carnago now has 146 career rejections and moved into 10th place all-time in The Summit League. Carnago came into the game ranked 13th in the NCAA in blocked shots per game.

Having gone 6-1 at home to start the season, the Golden Grizzlies will now face a four-game road swing. The road trip begins with a game at Clemson on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Tags: oakland university, women's college basketball

Category: Oakland University