Illinois rallies past Oakland in Bracket Busters showcase
NORMAL, Ill. — After winning back-to-back Summit League men’s basketball championships and reaching the NCAA tournament in both 2010 and 2011, Oakland was finally given a chance to compete in the annual ESPN Bracket Busters showcase.
The Golden Grizzlies could not take advantage of the first-time trip to the event.
Jackie Carmichael had 25 points and 19 rebounds Saturday to lead host Illinois State past Oakland, 79-75.
Carmichael’s basket with 17 seconds remaining gave Illinois State a 77-75 lead. He made a pair of free throws with four seconds to play to complete the scoring.
The Redbirds (17-11) of the Missouri Valley Conference trailed 26-14 before rallying late. Jon Ekey had 19 points and eight rebounds and John Wilkins had 12 points for ISU.
Carmichael had 19 of his 25 points in the second half and Tyler Brown added nine points for Illinois State, which held a 41-30 edge on the boards and shot 25-for-55 from the floor (45.5 percent).
The Redbirds outscored Oakland 45-32 in the second half.
Reggie Hamilton led the Golden Grizzlies (15-14) of the Summit League with 34 points, including six 3-pointers, to go along with eight assists. Travis Bader added 18 points, but only two after halftime, for Oakland.
Oakland held a 43-34 advantage at the half and led 53-48 with 14:52 to go but the Redbirds stayed within striking range and overtook the lead for good in the final 30 seconds.
Drew Valentine added 10 points and Ryan Bass added nine points for Oakland, which shot 42.1 percent from the floor (24-for-57).
Category: Campus Clips, Colleges / Other, Oakland University
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