Oakland hangs on to beat UMKC 63-61 in regular season finale
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sophomore Bethany Watterworth had 19 points and senior Anna Patritto hit a pair of go-ahead free throws as Oakland University ended the regular season with a 63-61 road win over UMKC on Monday at the Swinney Recreation Center. The Golden Grizzlies finish the regular season tied for third place in The Summit League.
“It was a great team win,” said Oakland head coach Beckie Francis. “We won it with our defense. Everyone that played, played well, especially Anna Patritto who gave us a great effort, demonstrating her senior leadership.”
Trailing 61-60 with 33 seconds left to play, Patritto stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to give Oakland (18-10, 12-6) a one-point lead. Patritto finished with 12 points registering double-digits for the fourth time this season and 14th time in her four-year career. She was 3-for-3 beyond the arc to lead Oakland to a 7-for-14 (50 percent) effort from 3-point-range.
UMKC’s Kaycie Boyles was fouled with 8.7 seconds left, but missed both free throws. Freshman Zakiya Minifee grabbed the rebound and knocked down one of two free throws as OU made a stop on the final possession. In addition to her team-high eight rebounds, Minifee had a game-high four steals.
Watterworth had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead three Oakland players in double-figures. Junior Sharise Calhoun added 13 points. Calhoun also had a team-high five assists, to go with three steals and five rebounds. The Golden Grizzlies forced 17 turnovers and scored 17 points off Kangaroos turnovers.
Kim Nezianya had a double-double effort of 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Kangaroos (14-15, 9-9). She hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give UMKC a 56-54 lead with 3:39 to play. LeAndrea Thomas scored 15 points to lead UMKC, while Ashli Hill had five of UMKC’s eight blocks.
Oakland trailed by as many as five points in the first half before finally taking the lead with 5:38 to play in the first half on a jumper by Calhoun. The Golden Grizzlies pushed the lead to as many as six points before UMKC went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 25-25. Watterworth knocked down a 3-pointer to give OU a 28-25 lead at the half.
Oakland will begin post season play on Sunday. The Golden Grizzlies will face Southern Utah on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Category: Colleges / Other, Oakland County Cruisers
