Repeat offender: Oakland drops Tennessee for second straight year
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — Keith Benson was back in the O’rena Monday night. This time as a spectator and honorary guest.
The 2011 Oakland University grad, also the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots who was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in June’s NBA Draft, got a chance to see his former Golden Grizzlies teammates defeat Tennessee for the second straight season.
Oakland never tailed and used its deep array of guards to attack the basket and shoot the three in posting an 89-81 non-conference victory over the Volunteers.
The Golden Grizzlies battled back from an 11-point halftime deficit last season to stun the Volunteers, 89-82, when they were ranked seventh in the nation at the time. That was with Benson and two other players now playing overseas on the floor.
Benson was present to have his jersey number retired in front of 3,755 fans — seventh largest crowd in school history — but was not the main attraction of the night.
Senior guard Reggie Hamilton scored career-high 35 points, including 15-for-15 from the foul line, to go along with six rebounds three assists and a steal to pace Oakland (4-2), which has won four straight after opening with back-to-back losses, both to SEC schools Alabama and Arkansas.
“As I told them in the locker room, this wasn’t about our team or me, this was about showing Oakland University basketball to the world and to the United States of America,” said OU coach Greg Kampe. “We were showing our student section, which was unbelievable. They weren’t going to let us lose. We’ve won so many games here in the building over the years. That atmosphere that we’ve created is amazing.”
It’s the third win over a BCS school in the last decade at home and the Grizzlies now own six wins overall against BSC schools since moving to Division I only 12 seasons ago. Tennessee joins Oregon as the only BCS schools to lose twice to the Grizzlies in that span.
Oakland’s fourth straight win this season was highlighted by some crisp shooting by the Grizzlies, who finished the night 27-for-62 from the field (44 percent) and 28-for-31 from the foul line (90 percent).
Hamilton, plagued by fouls in last season’s win over the Volunteers, helped Oakland stave off Tennessee’s second-half comeback. Oakland was 14-for-14 from the foul line during the final 2:20 of the contest, with Hamilton draining eight of those shots from the charity stripe.
PUSHING PAST: Oakland senior guard Reggie Hamilton blows past a Tennessee defender during the Golden Grizzlies' 89-81 triumph Monday at the O'rena. Courtesy Photo | Jose Juarez-Oakland University Athletics Communications
Three other Grizzlies reached double figures. Drew Valentine added 15 points and eight rebounds, Laval Lucas-Perry added 14 points and Travis Bader twined 13 points for Oakland.
Redshirt freshman Corey Petros chipped in with seven points and a game-high 13 rebounds for OU, which out-rebounded the taller Volunteers, 41-37.
Tennessee cut the deficit down to 52-47 with 14:58 to play on a three-pointer by Cameron Tatum. The Volunteers used an 8-1 run to close to within 62-59 with 8:21 to go.
OU’s Reggie Hamilton scored five straight in a span of 20 seconds to put OU back up 67-59 with 6:45 left.
“It’s another great feeling. Last year we had two pro prospects, Keith Benson and Will Hudson (in the post), and this year we are different,” said Hamilton. “For us to come out of the locker room and play the way we did — I’m more excited than I was last year.”
Jordan McRae helped Tennessee stay close in the second half, as he finished with 25 points. Cameron Tatum added 19 points and Trae Golden scored 12 for the Volunteers.
“I just think they made shots early, get their heads up, and there was a lot of energy in the building,” offered Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin. “You have to give those guys credit, they play well. I thought they set the tone. They ran their offense, played with confidence.”
Oakland opened the game with a 14-8 run and was able to keep the Volunteers (3-3) from closing to less than two points the remainder of the half. OU held its biggest lead of the half at 33-21 with 3:21 left when Hamilton swished a pair from the line.
Oakland led at the half, 39-32, and never allowed Tennessee to cut the deficit down to under three points in the second half.
“I think the first 16 minutes, that was the best defensive team playing that I’ve ever coached,” praised Kampe. “We got a little tired in the second half and so did they. There were a lot of really good players out there making plays.”
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Category: Campus Clips, Colleges / Other, Oakland University
