Oakland finally solves road woes with rout of Clemson
CLEMSON, S.C. – Sophomore Bethany Watterworth had 21 points to lead all players, as the Oakland University women’s basketball team picked up the first road win against an Atlantic Coast Conference school in program history by beating Clemson 73-49 at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday.
The Golden Grizzlies outrebounded the Tigers 45-25 and also outscored the hosts 40-20 in the paint.
“Our players really prepared well,” said Oakland coach Beckie Francis. “Our team just seems to love this type of competition. Our players are in a good state right now and are playing confidently. Everyone delivered today.”
Watterworth scored over 20 points for the seventh time this season to lead four Oakland (8-4) players in double-figures. Freshman Zakiya Minifee scored 12 points, while freshman Elizabeth Hamlet and junior Sharise Calhoun scored 11 and 10 points respectively for OU, which shot 50.9 percent from the field. Both Minifee and Watterworth finished with a team-high five assists for Oakland which had 17 assists on 28 made baskets.
Clemson (6-5) took a 17-14 lead on a 3-pointer by Kelia Shelton with 12:31 to play in the first half, before Oakland responded with a 21-2 run over the next 11minutes to lead by 16 points. A 5-0 Clemson run to end the half made it 37-26 at the half, but the Golden Grizzlies led by double-digits for the remainder of the game, leading by as many as 28 in the second half.
Junior center Brittany Carnago was Oakland’s top rebounder with a season-high 12 boards, while both Watterworth and Minifee posted nine rebounds each. Clemson entered the game ranked 28th in the nation with a +8.6 average rebounding margin, but was outrebounded by 20 by the Golden Grizzlies who collected a season-high 45 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards.
Carnago also blocked a shot to extend her streak of eight consecutive games played with a block. With 147 career blocks she currently ranks 10th all-time in The Summit League and fourth all-time at OU. Clemson and Oakland combined for just five total blocks, despite both teams ranking ninth and 11th respectively in blocks per game in the NCAA.
Shaniqua Pauldo came off the bench in the second half to lead the Tigers with 11 points. She was the only CU player to reach double-figures in the Tigers’ most lopsided loss of the season.
Oakland is now 2-6 all-time against schools from the ACC. The Golden Grizzlies defeated a ranked Florida State team 85-75 at the Athletics Center O’rena in 2007.
This is the second road win of the season for OU, which is in the midst of a four-game road swing; the team’s longest of the season. The Golden Grizzlies are back in action at Providence on Wednesday at 12 noon.
Category: Oakland University
