Oakland holds North Dakota State to 17 second-half points in 60-48 triumph
FARGO, N.D. – Junior Sharise Calhoun had 18 points to lead the Oakland University women’s basketball team to a 60-48 win over North Dakota State on Saturday at the Bison Sports Arena. The Golden Grizzlies held the Bison scoreless for a 7:49 stretch and allowed just 17 second-half points.
“It’s really fun to watch when our team plays defense like that,” said Oakland head coach Beckie Francis. “A lot of credit goes to Zakiya Minifee and Sharise Calhoun defensively tonight.”
Sophomore Bethany Watterworth finished with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists and was named Oakland’s team Most Valuable Player for the game, which was the fifth edition of the Katherine Burgum Classic. The Golden Grizzlies become the first visiting team to win in the classic game and have now won six straight against NDSU.
North Dakota State (8-10, 4-4) started the second half with a 10-2 run and took a 41-35 lead on a basket by Danielle DeGagne with 14:23 left to play in the second half. It was the last basket for NDSU until the 6:34 mark, as Oakland went on an 11-0 run and took the lead for good. The Golden Grizzlies tied the game on a basket by freshman Zakiya Minifee and took the lead on a 3-pointer by senior captain Kirstie Malone.
Calhoun scored nine of her 18 points in the final 1:44 to extend the Oakland lead and put the game out of reach. Freshman Malika Glover also reached double-digits scoring 11 points in the first half and was OU’s leading rebounder with six. Minifee led Oakland with five assists, three steals and a blocked shot. Junior Brittany Carnago chipped in with eight points.
Oakland (12-7, 6-2) came out shooting the ball well, knocking down three consecutive shots to start the game and taking a 7-2 lead, which grew to as many as nine points when OU went ahead 19-10 on a basket by Watterworth. However, North Dakota State made a run and took their only lead of the first half on a 3-pointer by Katie Birkel. Oakland responded with a 3-pointer by senior Anna Patritto to retake the lead and went into the half ahead 33-31.
Abby Plucker, the current Summit League Player of the Week, scored 14 points and had eight rebounds to lead NDSU and was named her team’s MVP. Birkel added 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists. The two leading scorers for NDSU, Birkel and Plucker, combined for just nine points in the second half.
Oakland will return to Summit League play on Monday at South Dakota State. Tip time for the game between the Golden Grizzlies and Jackrabbits is set for 7:45 p.m. (EDT).
Category: Oakland University
