Oakland Post Sports

Tournament hopes smashed

2008-03-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

IUPUI’s Hill nets 32 points to rub in OU defeat

*Note: Due to http://www.oaklandpostonline.com/ being down, semi-final stories will be posted here.

By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

TULSA, Okla. --To paraphrase a certain Detroit Piston, the numbers don’t lie.

Thirty-two: the number of points IUPUI junior and NBA prospect George Hill scored, which is also two shy of his career-high.

Thirty-six: shooting percentage Oakland University was held to in the contest.

Fourteen: Young men of Golden Grizzlies basketball who will be sent off on a plane back to Rochester, Mich. empty-handed.

And just like that, the third-seeded Golden Grizzlies were knocked out in the semi-finals of the Summit League Championship Tournament Monday night by the second-seeded IUPUI Jaguars, 80-65.

"They need to be congratulated," said head coach Greg Kampe said. "They played a great game tonight and we didn't."

The Jaguars got off to a fast start against the Golden Grizzlies, shooting ahead to a seven point lead in less than four minutes, with a 10-3 lead at the 16:44 mark.

While the Golden Grizzlies had two double-digit scorers in the first half, with sophomore Johnathon Jones and junior Derick Nelson scoring 11 points, they could not get over the single-digit bumps in the first half, thanks in part to Hill’s 16 first half points.

At the half, OU was behind four, thanks to a 3-pointer by junior Erik Kangas at the last second to bring the score to 37-33.

The second half started out promising for Oakland, with freshman Tim Williams, who started in the absence of Brandon Cassisie, scoring a quick layup out of the gate to cut IUPUI’s lead to two points, 37-35.

But the momentum would not last long, as the Jags went on an 8-1 run that had them ahead by nine, 45-36, just one minute later.

Though OU fell behind by as many as 11 points before the nine minute mark, they did not give up and courtesy of some plays by Williams and Jones, Oakland was back within five, 64-59, with six minutes to go.

But a 3-pointer by Hill buried the Golden Grizzlies in a double-digit deficit for good with 2:40 remaining and in the end, it was too much ground to cover for OU and they watched IUPUI walk away with their dreams of a conference championship game with a score of 80-65.

Despite the loss, four Golden Grizzlies finished the game in double digits. Nelson led the team with a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds, Jones netted 18 points and had six assists, junior Erik Kangas scored 13 and Williams rounded out OU’s top scorers with 11 points.

Kangas, who scored five 3-pointers in the second half against Western Illinois University Sunday, could only muster a 1-8 showing in the game’s second half.

The Golden Grizzlies slipped on the defensive end this game, being out-rebounded on the defensive glass, 28-18 and allowing the Jags to shoot 53 percent for the game.

“We just didn’t make plays on defense like we normally do,” Jones said. “We gave up easy shots and just didn’t rotate to the players.”

To rub salt on the wound, the Golden Grizzlies received next to no help from their bench. The four substitutes, senior Patrick McCloskey, junior Shane Lawal and freshmen Peter Bunn and Will Hudson, contributed no points and only two rebounds.

With the Golden Grizzlies out of the picture, the championship game will consist of IUPUI and first-seeded Oral Roberts University, with the winner earning an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

“The Summit League got what it probably deserves with the two best teams in the league playing tomorrow night on national TV against each other,” Kampe said. “That will be good for The Summit League.”

Tip off is set for Tuesday, March 11, at 6 p.m. CST and can be seen on ESPN.

Grizzlies knocked out by ORU

2008-03-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

By Tim Rath
Contributing Reporter

*Note: due to http://www.oaklandpostonline.com/ being down, the semi-final stories will be posted here.

TULSA, Okla. --The Oakland University women’s basketball team fell to Oral Roberts 71-61 in the semi-finals of the Summit League Championship Tournament on Monday, but head coach Beckie Francis is already looking forward to her next encounter with ORU’s Jerry Finkbeiner.

“We just love having these games,” she said of the Golden Eagles head coach. “(Oakland) is coming back next year, and we hope to even it out. We have our whole team back, he has his whole team back.”

Oral Roberts established control of the tempo early on when they turned OU turnovers into three-pointers. The Grizzlies totaled 20 turnovers for the game, which Oral Roberts turned into 26 points.

Oral Roberts secured a 17-point lead with 5:05 left to play in the first half, 36-19, and managed the same advantage until 1:46 remained. The Grizzlies then went on a 7-0 run, capped by a three-pointer by junior guard Jessica Pike with seven seconds left in the first half to trim the lead to 10 points, 40-30.

OU left halftime inspired, and quickly managed to trim the lead to six two minutes into the half after a three-point play from freshman forward Brittany Carnego.

However, Oral Roberts once again managed to clamp down on defense and convert mistakes into three-pointers, culminating with a Jenae Voelker jump shot to extend the lead to 16, 54-38, with 14:32 left to play. Oakland began to eat away at that lead, and drew within nine after a three-pointer from Pike capped off a 7-0 run with 8:12 to play.

Pike continued a desperate, furious rally with three more three-point bombs that cut the lead to three, 63-60, with 3:48 left to play. Turnovers and fouls killed the Grizzlies’ momentum after that. Oral Roberts only allowed one more point for the rest of the contest, and pushed its lead to as many as ten to finish the contest after a free throw shooting parade.

The upset defeat marks the second consecutive season in which the Grizzlies’ season has ended in Tulsa, at the hands of Oral Roberts.

According to Francis, playing in their own backyard gave the Golden Eagles a distinct advantage against OU. “Last year, they closed school and brought the entire town,” she said. “Maybe I shouldn’t be saying this, but… I do think the home crowd helps.”

Also adding to the Grizzlies’ troubles were a rash of injuries, headlined by the broken foot of Hanna Reising. The starting sophomore forward missed the last five games of the regular season and could only manage eight minutes against Oral Roberts.

“She tried to go out there and play, but she hadn’t practiced in three weeks,” Francis said. “She hurt us because (Oral Roberts) were so focused on Pike.”

Pike led the Grizzlies in the losing effort with 18 points, four assists, and eight rebounds, while junior guard April Kidd added 12 points and eight boards. Pike’s 18 pushed her career total past 1,000 and to 1,003.

“We rushed our shots,” Pike said of OU’s 36 percent shooting. “We didn’t really run our offense.”

Summit League Basketball Tournament: Day Two

2008-03-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Women's first round action and how I was saddened by a Kangaroo

By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

Saturday afternoon was the kick-off for Summit League tournament action when the first-seeded Oakland University women's team took on eighth-seeded Centenary College at noon CST.

I was not covering the game, so why was I so nervous?

That's because in addition to covering the games, Tim and I are to take out own photos with a Nikon D50 that costs about six of my Oakland Post paychecks (yes, that's a hint at how much I make haha).

I had never used a camera that nice before and I prayed I wouldn't take crappy pictures or that a Golden Grizzly wouldn't come crashing into me while I sat defenseless on the baseline.

Luckily, the photos turned out pretty sweet. You can check out the photo gallery here.

(And for the record, I escaped from the court unscathed...for that day, anyway.)

Samantha Franz/The Oakland Post
One of my best shots, I think. This
one is of Charlese Greer.

After the 60-49 victory, we indulged in another Sonic run (Tim reccomends mixing Dr. Pepper with blue coconut flavor...use your best judgement there) and relaxed until 6 p.m. CST, when we headed back to the UMAC to watch the two top men's seeds (Oral Roberts at 1st and IUPUI at 2nd).

The Oral Roberts game, as expected, was a blowout over Centenary College (man, it just wasn't their day....), which posed the question among the Oakland University media: who would win in a game? Centenary College or Rochester College?

The second game is where things got interesting. The seventh-seeded Kangaroos of UMKC were taking on second-seeded IUPUI and what on paper appeared to be a blowout turned into a great down-to-the-wire game.

But alas, I was saddened. Not by the eventual loss of the underdog, but becase of the complete lack of mobility of Kasey Kangaroo.

See, last year, the portly marsupial wowed the crowd with backflips and mid-air spins. I told my co-workers to just wait for the timeouts. They were going to be dazzled.

Instead, I felt like an idiot because the stupid thing just sat there on it's overweight behind and stared blankly into space.

Myspace videos
Move your ass, buddy.

I felt like that old cartoon where the frog puts on a top hat and dances, but only when nobody else is looking.

Ah, well. Look for more Tulsa escapaes later.

Summit League Basketball Tournament: Day One

2008-03-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

I always seem to be traveling to Tulsa, Okla at the right times. Last year, both the men's and women's Oakland University basketball teams made it to the championship game. This year, not only is this the inagural year for the league's Summit League monkier, but I also completely bypassed the winter storm that blasted the Midwest.

Associated Press
Sucks to be you, Ohio.

But just like last year, I am not alone. By my side is contributing reporter Tim Rath, who will be covering the women's tournament, and Brad Doescher and Corey Hagood of WXOU radio.

The flights were fairly smooth, although there was one minor freakout session when our 8:40 a.m. flight to Chicago was delayed. The pilot announced that, "While we are good here, the wheels are up, so we're going to be delayed another 25 minutes.

Um, what? Is that pilot slang?

Though our plane took off not too long after the announcement, we landed at O'Hare at 10:17, late for our 9:55 takeoff to Tulsa.

"Great," we thought. "We're going to be stranded here...AGAIN." (See last year's entry on our 5 1/2 hour delay).

Then, the miracle happened. It turned out that the plane that had just taken us to Chicaco was also going to take us to Tulsa.

Hooray!

Samantha Franz/The Oakland Post
I love having window seats.

Not only did we land on time, but actually had time to relax and check out the main drag on 71st Street.

First order of business? Sonic, of course. Duh.

Samantha Franz/The Oakland Post
Corey is totally excited.
I have a feeling multiple meals will be
coming from here.

Duck Season

2007-12-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

Golden Grizzlies knock off ranked Oregon in historic win

By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

AUBURN HILLS, Mich.--The cards were laid out perfectly for the University of Oregon Ducks. Two of their starters, Malik Hairston and Tajuan Porter were making a homecoming to Detroit (both are graduates of Detroit Renaissance), they were ranked 23rd in the nation, according to the AP Poll and were in a perfect position to rebound after an overtime loss to Nebraska on Dec. 15.

What they weren’t counting on was a resilient Oakland University team to take an 11-point lead in the first half and battle back from a 20-0 Oregon run in the second half, thus giving Oakland a 68-62 victory, OU’s first-ever over a top-25 team.

“This is the most important game in my 24 years here,” said head coach Greg Kampe. "People might say “You beat Michigan and you won an NCAA tournament game [in 2005],” but this is the biggest.”

The Oakland (6-6) and Oregon (8-3) match up was the nightcap of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Spartan Clash Saturday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills and the home team put on a performance that was a great early Christmas present for Golden Grizzlies fans.

The Ducks drew first blood with a quick lay-up by starting forward Joevan Catron, but was quickly countered by two back-to-back 3-pointers by OU junior Erik Kangas, and the Grizzlies took a 6-2 lead.

The score would continue to see-saw between the two teams until Oregon took their final lead of the half at 12:56 with a 12-9 advantage. After that, it was all Oakland. Junior Derick Nelson led the charge with 11 first-half points and five boards and helped his team leave the Ducks stunned as the ranked team found themselves in a 37-26 hole going into halftime.

But Oregon was ranked for a reason and they demonstrated that in the second half. In less than four minutes going into the half, three Oregon 3-pointers and two trips to the free throw line suddenly cut Oakland’s lead from 13 all the way down to a tie. This deficit became part of a 20-0 Oregon scoring run that ended with Oakland down by seven points with 14:33 to go in the contest.

But Oakland didn’t surrender and they began to battle back. Senior sixth man Brandon Cassie got the ball rolling with a three-point play, thanks to being fouled on a fade away jumper with 8:16 remaining, bringing OU within one, 52-51. Clutch shots from Kangas and aggressive drives from Nelson helped OU gain a 60-54 advantage with about four minutes to go.

The Ducks would tie the game one more time with two 3-pointers by Porter and Bryce Taylor, making the score 60-60 with three minutes left. But trips to the charity stripe would keep OU on top and when the buzzer rang out, the Golden Grizzlies celebrated their 68-62 victory, their first over a top-25 team.

“This means a lot to me and (the) players, but it means more to the program,” Nelson said about being part of the historic victory. “This is about all the players who helped bring Oakland to Division I and the players that will be here in the future.” Nelson finished the night with 22 points.

The Golden Grizzlies will have a few days off for the holidays before jetting off to Ohio to take on the University of Toledo Dec. 29. at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on 88.3 WXOU.

Noise Factor: Spartan Clash proved to be a sell-out, with 22,076 fans in attendance for the first game of Michigan State University against Texas. A few thousand fans stuck around for game two, though judging by the noise level, the arena could have easily been half full.

Grizzlies sing the Blues

2007-12-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

OU falls 103-87 to U-M, uptempo plays proves to be downfall

The Golden Grizzlies warm up at Crisler Arena/Samantha Franz

By Samantha Franz

Sports Editor

After an embarrassing 82-73 defeat at the hands of lowly conference opponent Southern Utah University Saturday (1-1 Summit, 2-7 overall), the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies hoped to seek redemption Wednesday against the struggling University of Michigan (4-6 overall) in Ann Arbor.

But the Wolverines proved to be too much for OU to handle, and the Golden Grizzlies (1-1 Summit, 4-6 overall) were handed a commanding 103-7 loss. The contest marked two four-game streaks for these teams--U-M finally won a game after four consecutive losses and OU continues to be winless on the road, going 0-4 away from the O'Rena.

"We had 76 possessions in this game," head coach Greg Kampe said. "But all that made us do was be on defense. We didn't play defense, but we were on defense. They got confidence because they got easy baskets, then began making the hard shots."

OU started the game out on a strong note, thanks to a rim-rattling dunk from freshman Keith Benson. It became back-and-forth basketball, for the next eight minutes, as OU never led by more than four points. But after a dunk from U-M's Zack Gibson, the score was tied at 21 with 12:56 remaining and the Golden Grizzlies would never come close again for the remainder of the contest.

The Wolverines led by as many as 17 points in the first half, before OU went on a mini-scoring run that was capped off by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from junior Erik Kangas, which brought OU within 13 going into the second half.

Going into the second half, the Golden Grizzlies came barrelling out of the gates and by the 17:32 mark, they came within five points of the home team. But Michigan took charge and went on a 14-3 scoring run that resulted in a 79-58 lead at the half's midway point. The Golden Grizzlies just couldn't gather enough steam to make a comeback, keeping U-M's record at home flawless at 4-0.

"I don't know how much basketball we played in the second half," Kampe said. "I think I heard someone in the fourth or fifth row yell, 'I got next!'"

Junior Derick Nelson became a floor leader in the second half and, after scoring only four points in the first half, repeatedly drove the lane for 27 second half points, tying his career-high 31 points in a game and leading all scorers on the floor. Kangas's five 3-pointers helped propel him to 24 points in the game.

According to head coach Greg Kampe, the uptempo basketball he was looking forward to using on his players this season backfired in the worst kind of way against the Wolverines.

Perhaps they should have taken a cue from the proverbial tortoise.

"We wanted to get the game at a breakneck speed and breakneck tempo," he said. "It was a very poor choice on my part obviously. Nothing we did worked. We made some mental errors, especially our young post players."

After taking a week off, the Golden Grizzlies will host cross-town rivals Rochester College at 7 p.m. at the O'Rena.

Impressing Beilien--U-M's coach expressed thankfulness for being able to defeat OU by such a large margin, because judging by what he's seen before, "I would not want to be up only four or five points to this team."

Going off the deep end?--Though the loss to U-M means nothing in terms of conference play, Kampe hopes his squad remains steady when they reenter the Summit League in January. "If our conference goes up and down, we'll be in trouble," he said. "But even though I'm ready to jump off a bridge, they cannot."

Lawal in trouble?--Starter Shane Lawal, after having some big games, seemed to be non-existent against U-M, scoring no points and committing two turnovers. "Shane struggled tonight," Kampe said. "When I put him in the second half, we were down 13. When I pulled him out, we were down 22. He was not on his game."

Upset? Not tonight...

2007-11-25T14:35:00.000-08:00

Auburn overcomes OU to save face, 71-63

By Samantha Franz & Rob Tate
Sports Editor & Assistant Sports Editor

Oakland University's women's basketball team (2-1) came oh-so-close to sending No. 24 ranked Auburn (4-0) to the Thanksgiving table the following morning with a loss hanging over their heads last Wednesday, but couldn't overcome a second-half hump as they fell to the Tigers 71-63 at the O'Rena.

Oakland had a 58-55 point lead with 4:43 remaining in the game, but Tiger Tamela McCorvey nailed a 3-pointer with 3:45 remaining and the Golden Grizzlies just couldn't recover.

The young Golden Grizzlies played well against Auburn and their star guard DeWanna Bonner, who is second in the Southeastern Conference in both scoring and rebounding and finished the night with a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. OU sophomore Meslissa Jeltema, in only her fourth career start, tallied a double-double of her own, with career highs in points and rebounds with 21 points and 11 boards.

“To have a lead and to play that well and not come out with the victory is very frustrating,” head coach Beckie Francis said. “I was very, very proud of our young ladies.”

Sparty on, OU!

2007-11-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

OU travels to MSU for two key events

By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

One team is seeking to complete the first round of the NCAA men's soccer tournament. The other is a men's basketball team seeking redemption after falling 92-77 to Duquense University. As fate would have it, both of these Golden Grizzlies teams will be traveling to East Lansing to take on the Spartans in their respective events this Saturday.

At noon, the men's soccer team will hit the field in hopes of winning their first-ever NCAA tourney game. OU previosuly fell to MSU 2-1 on Oct. 17. The winner of Saturday's tilt will take on Notre Dame Nov. 28.

The men's basketball team, meanwhile, will hit the court at 4 p.m. at the Breslin Center. The game will be broadcast on The Big Ten Network, 1310 AM and 88.3 FM, WXOU.

SWAT team

2007-11-21T09:55:00.000-08:00

Duquense's 15 blocks move OU to 2-2

By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

ROCHESTER--Whoever said you need to score double-digit points to have a good game clearly has never seen Duquense University junior Shawn James play basketball.

True, he only scored one point, a lone free throw, in the Dukes 92-77 routing of Oakland University. But the six-foot-ten post player also tallied six rebounds and a school record 12 blocks. Yes, 12 individual blocks, notching a new school record. No wonder he was chosen to be picked 17th overall in foxsports.com's 2008 NBA mock draft.

“We’ve played some top five teams in here, including Michigan State when they went to the Final Four, and that [Duquense] was one of the best teams we’ve ever faced,” said head coach Greg Kampe. "You saw a hell of a team."

From the opening tip to the final buzzer, the game was a dog fight. Players hit the floor, crashed the boards and sent the ball sailing, thanks to a grand total of 24 blocks between the teams.

OU never led throughout the contest, though they experienced several scoring runs, resulting in four Golden Grizzlies in double figures, including a career night for junior Shane Lawal, with 10 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks.

Junior Shane Lawal/www.ougrizzlies.com

"If you would have told me when he first got here that, against a good basketball team, he would have 16 rebounds, 10 points and five blocks, I would have said, 'there is no way that would ever happen,'" Kampe said. "I felt I couldn't take him off the floor; he was a real bright spot out there for us."

Senior Brandon Cassise did his best to compensate for the absence of the injured Erik Kangas, shooting 5-17 from the three-point line and tallying a game-high 22 points. But with only one sharp-shooter on the perimeter, Oakland tried to take the game inside to help out. As a result, they walked right into Duquense's block party, where many of their shots were either swatted away or pulled down in one of the Dukes' 37 defensive rebounds.

"We didn't pull up and shoot jump shots and Derick Nelson wanted to prove he could score on James," Kampe said of Nelson's driving to the basket. "James is probably going to send him a thank-you note for a world-record in blocked shots," he joked.

The Golden Grizzlies came within 10 points, 50-40, at 18:51 mark in the second half off a free throw by junior Derick Nelson But the run was short-lived and the Dukes countered with a 7-0 run, squashing OU's momentum.

Kampe referred to Duquense's ablility to hit the three-pointer on the road the as "key to the game," and that is certainly not a lie. Whenever OU hit a stride and sank a clutch shot, the Dukes would have an answer from three-point land, as they sank 11 of their 33 attempts, compared to OU's 7-26.

Other strong finishers for the Golden Grizzlies were Nelson with 20 points and eight rebounds and sophomore point guard Jonathon Jones with 12 points and three assists.

The victory shoots the Dukes up to 4-0 for the first time in 21 years, while the loss for OU puts them at 2-2 to start the season. The road isn't going to get any easier either, as the Golden Grizzlies enter Sparty Country this Saturday to take on the 10th ranked Michigan State University at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network, 1310 AM and 88.3 FM, WXOU.

Who wants to redeem themselves more?--Both Oakland University and Michigan State are coming into Saturday's matchup off of losses. The Spartans were handed a 68-63 decision by the 2nd ranked UCLA Bruins (5-0) Tuesday.

Back to basic black (and gold)?--After defeating Eastern Michigan in their new uniforms, the Golden Grizzlies wore them again in their loss to Duquense. Will they take them for a third outing against the Spartans and break the 1-1 record in them or will they go back to the more traditional unis?

We are the champions

2007-11-18T15:48:00.000-08:00

Men's soccer takes Summit League title on IUPUI's home field

By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

After coming up victorious 2-1 against UMKC, Oakland University had to face a hometown crowd in Indianapolis as the No. 1 ranked Golden Grizzlies took on the No. 2 ranked IUPUI. But all the cheers went in one ear and out the other as OU came away with the Summit League champsionship title by shutting out the Jaguars 2-0. The win gives Oakland an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Senior Michael Reyes netted both goals for the Golden Grizzlies and garnered Summit League Most Valuable Player honors.

Senior Michael Reyes/ougrizzlies.com

“The guys were absolutely magnificent today for all 90 minutes,” said The Summit League Coach of the Year Gary Parsons. “IUPUI came out and played physically today, and we matched them. Michael Reyes came in off the bench and was brilliant for us. It’s great to get back to the NCAA Tournament." Parsons was named Summit League Coach of the Year and junior Martin Sandell recieved Summit League Newcomer of the Year Honors.

OU will find out who they play in the NCAA selection show, which will air at 5:30 p.m. on ESPNews.

Fantastic Finish--The following OU players earned spots on the All-Tournament Team:

Adam Brent
Ian Daniel
Piotr Nowak
Michael Reyes

Wings Clipped

2007-11-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

OU takes Eagles out of flight with 86-71 decision

By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

"Every rose has its thorn," Poison famously crooned in 80s car radios everywhere. The same phrase could be applied to Oakland University's 86-71 routing of Eastern Michigan University's men's basketball team Saturday.

Sure, the team won by 15 points and yeah, six Golden Grizzlies were in double-figures. Oh, and OU simply owned the Eagles on the boards, out-rebounding EMU 56-33.

Junior Derick Nelson/ougrizzlies.com

But Oakland was also out-scored in the second half after a 43-26 halftime lead and only made 51.5 percent of their free throws. That, and they threw the ball away 21 times, resulting in 25 EMU points.

Ouch.

"That was the worst free throw shooting I've seen in my entire life," head coach Greg Kampe said. "I don't know how we scored 86 points. I told the team I really liked the way we played. I don't like how we played, but I like the way we played. The speed, the energy and they way we defended; I like that very much, But it wasn't crisp and we turned the ball over way too much."

Starting shooting guard Erik Kangas once again took a seat on the bench, recovering from a shoulder injury and senior Brandon Cassise started in his place, finishing the night with 11 points, including three three-pointers, and five steals.

The Grizzlies came out swinging in the first half, scoring 43 points and taking advantage of EMU's sloppy play. The Eagles committed a whopping 15 fouls in the half and turned the ball over 18 times, which OU converted into 20 points.

After basking in a 43-26 halftime lead, the Golden Grizzlies notched another 43 points on the board in the second half. Problem is, EMU put up 45.

Between Nelson's mere five points in the second half (compared to his 17 first half points), OU's 11 turnovers and losing junior Rutgers transfer Dan Waterstradt to injury, OU was presented with a greater challenge in maintaining their lead.

Waterstradt had just entered double-digit territory, scoring his 10th point, when he hit the court hard with 16:20 remaining in the half. He was assisted off the court and was diagnosed with a sprained ankle.

Luckily, OU got some help from their young guns with freshmen Will Hudson (who started at forward) scoring six points, Tim Williams notching 11 points and Keith Benson tallying six rebounds and two blocks.

As Kampe looks ahead to Tuesday's match up against Duquense (3-0 overall this season), a team he claims is the toughest team coming to the O'Rena this season, he expressed concern with his two injured players.

"If this was the NFL, Kangas would be listed as 'doubtful,'" Kampe said. "He will play when we play Southern Utah and UMKC in early December. If he can play before that, he will. But that's my time table for him; he's gotta heal and he's not healed. And Waterstradt is day-to-day [with a mild ankle sprain]. We need those players back."

But just because Kangas is out, doesn't mean his players are wide-eyed and dreaming of more playing time.

"We're not thinking about it like that," sophompre Shane Lawal said, who started the game and contributed six points (including some slam dunks), nine rebounds and one block. "We're looking at it as, 'if we're winning without him now, it says a lot about our team.' This is a very deep team, on the perimeter and in the post."

Also setting the tone for Tuesday's match up were some words of wisdom from Kampe's father.

"My father always said there are two things in the world that don't last," he said. "Dogs that chase cars and teams that don't make their free throws."

The tilt against Duquense will tip-off at 7 p.m. at the O'Rena.

Fashion Foward?--Always a team to push the fashion envelope, the Golden Grizzlies once again hit the court in some new uniforms. The uniform tops were much tighter than a traditional jersey, made of an Under Armor-like material.

"I like how tight they are because people can't grab on to [your jersey], but I don't really like the design," Nelson said.

When asked if tight shorts were to follow, Nelson laughed and gave a firm, "No."

See ya later, mate!

2007-11-16T22:14:00.000-08:00

Grizzlies kick Kangaroos out of Summit League semis

By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

Go figure that the game-winning goal was scored by the player Oakland University's men's soccer team was missing up until a few weeks ago, as sophomore Stefan St. Louis punched OU's ticket to the Summit League finals Friday. The Golden Grizzlies won by a 2-1 margin.

“Certainly we’re very happy with getting the win,” said head coach Gary Parsons in a press release. “We did a nice job getting behind them and created a lot of chances in the first half. We could have scored four goals, but only had the one goal lead. The second half was even and Stefan got a key goal for us late and we did a good job riding it out over the final 15 minutes.”

OU's first goal was scored by Piotr Nowak late in the first half off a pass by Summit League Newcomer of the Year Martin Sandell. After the goal was countered by UMKC in the 64th minute, St. Louis sent the game-winner at the 75:34 and successfully held the lead for their bid into the finals.

The Golden Grizzlies will take the field Sunday at noon in Indianapolis and will face the winner of the Oral Roberts/IUPUI showdown.

Crazy No. 8

2007-11-16T21:59:00.000-08:00

OU Women's soccer falls to high-seeded Boilermakers

By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

Oakland University's NCAA women's soccer tournament run skidded to a halt Friday, as they couldn't get a shot past No. 8 ranked Purdue and fell 4-0, with all four goals coming in the second half.

“The team played well for the most part, but when you have a breakdown, teams of this caliber really punish you,” said head coach Nick O’Shea ina press release. “We really opened up after the first goal and they countered to get a second goal and we lost focus after that. It’s always a goal to make it to the NCAA Tournament and we had a great season.”

And a great season they had. Returning starters from last year, such as senior Kristi Tomczyk, junior Kristi Evans and Summit League MVP Jessica Boyle stepped up their game while newcomers like senior walk-on Jamie Hulet and goaltender Elizabeth Watza certainly turned some heads in their black and gold debut.

OU finished the season 10-8-2 and took home the Inaugural Summit League title on their home field last Sunday.

We Are All Tigers

2007-03-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

By Brian Bleau

Contributing Reporter

The City of Detroit has bent but not broken, it has receded but not conceded; and in the form of a baseball team that holds true to the city’s blue-collar tradition of hard work and resilience, a breath of life has been forced into its ceasing lungs.

Detroit has more than its share of problems. A community that once thrived on its success within the automotive industry has been crippled by more lost jobs and higher crime rates than any city should bear. Racial and ethnic tensions remain not only between communities, but within communities as well.

Even if it was only for a few cold weeks last October, it seemed that a calm was settling over the streets of the Motor City in the midst of a Tiger-mania that many have never seen before.

While we’ve seen championship celebrations for the Red Wings and Pistons in recent years, something much bigger and more meaningful could be on the horizon. The Red Wings viewing demographic is made up of a majority of white suburbanites, and while the Pistons have a much more diverse group of fans, they play more than 30 miles away from the city- somewhat detaching themselves from the aura associated with being a Detroit team.

Our boys of summer play America’s sport in the heart of America. They play a sport that knows no cultural boundaries, a sport that celebrates the meaning of unity, a sport that has not seen a season of such high expectations in Detroit for far too long.

Baseball is a game, but to many people it’s much more than that. It’s a common ground between all people that knows no race or creed, it’s a passion; something that cannot be bought or sold- only loved. Fans see themselves in their teams. They identify with players and their attitudes toward the game just as they identify with their friends and their attitudes toward life.

Last fall, in a historic display of grit and heart, the Tigers humanized the soul of Detroit and sent one of the greatest lineups ever assembled back to the Bronx for an off-season that turned out to be much longer than expected; a result that hardly anybody outside of Michigan believed would come to pass.

Under the direction of Jim Leyland, last year’s Tigers team exceeded the expectations of fans, media, and even its own front office. In a David vs. Goliath match-up, they stood with their backs against the wall on the largest stage in baseball and rebounded in a way that many never dreamed they would, giving us hope that no matter how bad things are, there is nothing that hard work, perseverance, and teamwork cannot improve.

Although the outcome of the World Series was less than desirable, it somehow didn’t take anything away from what the Tigers did last season.
Michigan’s problems are much more complicated than throwing, hitting, or catching a ball, but the solution is not. We could learn a lot from Jim Leyland and his Tigers, as it seems that they’ve learned a lot from us.

It’s do or die time for a city and state on the brink. The Tigers have found their skipper, but we’re still waiting on ours.

Batter up.

Oakland edges out Lindenwood

2007-03-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

Grizzlies off to good start in Tournament

By Brittany Ochtinsky
Contributing Reporter

If you know anything about Oakland University's hockey team, you know third-period comebacks are non-existent. However, if you know anything about Nationals, you know anything can happen. You know to expect the unexpected and the Golden Grizzlies proved they wouldn't go down without a fight.

Luckily, they didn't go down at all. Well, at least not in the end.

The Grizzlies found themselves trailing 3-1 in the third period against Lindenwood in the opening round of games in the National Championship tournament. The final period was a see-saw of emotion, but when the final buzzer sounded, the Grizzlies advanced to the next round with a 5-4 victory.

Will McMahon and Jordan Ingram scored less than a minute apart to knot the score.

"Gordie pulled me aside on the bench and said 'All right Jordan, we need one right now,' and I went out that shift and scored," said Ingram. "He had a premonition, I guess. I just threw it on the net, I wasn't looking for a corner or anything. I saw it go in and that's when the magic happened."

A minute later, Lindenwood came back and regained the lead with a goal from Larry Kopecky. But that just fueled the Grizzlies' fire even more.

"When Will scored, everybody got really excited and they were ready to go. Then Jordan scored and I thought we were gonna have a chance to run away with the game," said Head Coach Sean Hogan. "We finally solved their goalie. Then they scored and I wasn't worried. I still felt like we had had momentum and those power play opportunities really helped us."

Garrett Kondratek and Brent Cooper showed that when the goals came for the Grizzlies, they came in pairs. They netted goals a minute apart to tie the game and then finally pull ahead for the first time in the game.

"We were tied 4-4 and I had a feeling whoever scored the next goal was gonna win the game," said Cooper, who also scored the opening goal for the Grizzlies in the first period. "We were on the powerplay and there was a scrum in front of the net. John Parrish threw the puck on net, the goalie kicked out a save and tried to put the puck behind the net. I stole it from him and roofed it up, top cheese and we held on to win."

Lindenwood found themselves on a 5-on-3 power play with five minutes to play in the game, but couldn't come up with anything. Oakland's Jon Paul Ferrari took a penalty with less than a minute and Lindenwood had yet another chance to tie it up with an empty net, but to no avail.

"Every single year we've been in the National Tournament, the first game has been a struggle," said Hogan. "We won the first game in overtime twice and we were down by three goals last year, so it's a good sign."

Grizzlies advance to semi-finals

2007-03-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

OU knocks off UMD with ease

By Brittany Ochtinsky
Contributing Reporter

Some would call it luck that the University of Michigan-Dearborn upset second-seeded Ohio in double overtime on Wednesday. Others would call it luck that the Wolves came down with a case of food poisoning later that night. But the Golden Grizzlies had one goal in mind -- to make it to the semi-finals on Saturday -- and it drove them to the net five times en route to a 5-1 victory.

The two teams were no strangers coming into the tournament. They had met three times in the regular season, with Oakland winning the first two in overtime and the Wolves taking advantage of a worn-down Grizzlies' roster over Thanksgiving weekend.

But the Grizzlies had come so far since that last meeting and with the Championship game three days away, there was no time to dwell in the past.

Tim Michaels matched his goal total for the season when he netted a pair in the opening period. He capitalized twice on the power play, firing shots from the point.

"I got a new stick before the game, actually," said Michaels. "I think it gave me confidence. Normally during a game, I didn't shoot the puck a lot, I was looking for passes. I finally had the confidence to shoot the puck when I had it."

Jeff Einheuser also scored for the Grizzlies in the first period, which stood as the game-winning goal.

"Basically, it was just hard work on our line. We got it deep, Bertolo had the patience and I got the one-timer," said Einheuser. "It didn't hit me until after the game that I scored a goal that meant something. It means a lot when you're out there, but it means a lot more after the game, knowing you helped your team win the game."

The Wolves tried to get back in the game in the third period with a goal from Jason Vella, but the Grizzlies distanced themselves yet again when Garrett Kondratek struck on the power play.

"The power play is really moving, it's really going along great," said Head Coach Sean Hogan. "Finally! I guess all the complaining we did all year long is paying off. We constantly practiced it and we know what we're supposed to do. I'm just glad it's coming together now. I guess it doesn't really matter until you get here anyway."

With over three minutes to play, UMD pulled their goalie in hopes of sparking some offense but instead surrendered an empty-net goal to Will McMahon, which was only his second of the tournament.

As the teams had met three times over the course of the regular season, they knew the players to key in on, McMahon for Oakland and Steve Rademacher on UMD. The Grizzlies held Rademacher off the scoresheet, while all McMahon could manage was an empty-netter.

"We were obviously pretty fortunate to play U of M Dearborn instead of Ohio, and we were also fortunate they were pretty sick," said Hogan. "We came out with a mission, we weren't about to lose to U of M Dearborn and it showed."

Penn State, here we come!

2007-03-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

Final-minute thriller secures bid at Championship

By Brittany Ochtinsky
Contributing Reporter

The Murdoch Cup had taken its place beside the rink. Penn State had beaten Delaware to advance to the finals. All the Golden Grizzlies had to do was hold on for 60 minutes against the University of Illinois and they'd be playing in the Championship game. But it almost didn't happen.

With 1:19 remaining, the Grizzlies watched the lead they had held the entire game slip through their fingers. The Fighting Illini fought back after pulling their goalie for an extra attacker. Within seconds, the score was tied 2-2 and looked to be heading into overtime. But if you're a Grizzly fan, you knew it was far from over.

"Super Will" McMahon saved the day and made sure the Illini didn't get a shot at overtime.

McMahon caught a breakaway with just over a minute to play, as Brent Cooper delivered a pass from across the ice and McMahon walked in all alone on goalie Mike DeGeorge.

"Who can pull that off in a regular game, let alone with 59 seconds left in the semi-finals?" asked Head Coach Sean Hogan in disbelief. "The one guy on the ice you'd want to watch with a minute left and he's wide open. I couldn't believe it."

"They had just scored and we were in the huddle and JP had his head down. I told him to pick his head up and we were gonna win the game," said McMahon. "Scoring like that 20 seconds after they thought they were gonna win the game, it was very, very emotional. I was just trying to get the team going and rally some support after such a heartbreaking moment. That was the craziest game I've ever played in, by far."

McMahon gave the Grizzlies a 2-0 advantage late in the second period, but the Illini would cut the lead in half before the buzzer sounded. Jon Paul Ferrari had the lone goal in the first period, on what he called, "the only goal I've ever scored that actually meant something."

Goaltender Collin Chase stopped 37 shots to keep his team in the game.

"Giving up the tying goal didn't feel all that great," said Chase. "A minute twenty left and they scored, but for some reason, I felt we'd be all right. Something about the way the team plays in high-pressure situations, I knew they'd figure it out and get it done somehow. And once again, they did."

Seniors sound off

2007-03-06T16:18:00.000-08:00

Seniors reflect on final game as Grizzlies

By Brittany Ochtinsky
Contributing Reporter

The lone senior on Penn State University's hockey team had one last chance at a National Championship. After finishing as the runner-up in the previous three seasons, this year goalie Chris Matteo was determined to go out on top. Oakland University's seniors made sure he wouldn't.

With two Division 2 National Championship titles under their belts, the six seniors had one last thing to accomplish -- beating Penn State in the Division 1 finals. Will McMahon led the charge and the team defeated the Nittany Lion Icers 5-1 in one of the most emotional games ever.

Now the senior class share their thoughts on going out on top in their final game in the black and gold.

"I still don't believe it. We were watching the game on the bus and I was still nervous that we might lose. All we keep talking about is winning. I couldn't have written a better story –- I wouldn't have. I mean, if I wrote the story, I would've had me with three goals instead of four. It's one thing to score four goals, it was nice, but to do it and to know that you just helped your team win the National Championship... I mean, I did not win the National Championship myself, but to know that you helped your team that much was just really, really special to me in my last game ever." - Will McMahon

"I had a good feeling after we beat Illinois that we were gonna win, but I knew Penn State was gonna be really tough. It was an emotional game, but it probably would have been more emotional if we would've lost. Losing would have been pretty devastating, but also to get that far, as the tenth seed and not doing so well in the regular season, it was the perfect ending. You couldn’t have asked for anything else." - Adam Chornoby

"Besides just being happy for the players, it means a lot to our coaches, especially Sean Hogan. I remember being a freshman and all Sean Hogan would talk about was Penn State and Ohio and Illinois. He would pump their tires so much and any time something would happen with them, he was always talking about it. When Hogan took over the team and decided to move up to D1, we were like, 'Sean, are you kidding me? We've gotta play these teams, we don't have the resources. We barely had the resources to make it in D2.' He was always telling us, 'We're fine, we'll be fine.' And to go out and win the National Championship four years after hearing him say that, it just seems surreal that it actually happened. We're just pretty happy for him as well because he was the main guy who started this whole run in D1 and he was probably the only guy to believe that we could do it." - Scott Elder

"For me, it was more exciting to play for my dad because he's been at every practice, every game, he never misses a tournament, he's just always there. I think it was exciting for him to see us win one last time. I think more than just winning it for me or the other guys, for him it was just huge." - Jordan Ingram

"For all six of us seniors, you couldn't go out on a better note. Just to see how the program has grown and now we're in Division 1 and that we won the Division 1 National Championship is pretty amazing. It's a great accomplishment, but you've also gotta hand it to the guys who started this team seven years ago. I remember seeing a game when Will was a freshman. The team had only been around for a couple of years and they weren't anywhere near what we are now, so you've got to hand it to them. It's also nice to hear things from other people around the ACHA congratulating us and to do it back-to-back from Division 2 to Division 1 is quite an accomplishment." - TJ Schaeffler

"What a way to go out. We came into this tournament tenth seed and I didn't think we should've been there. I didn't think we were gonna get past that first round with Lindenwood. Obviously, we proved that chemistry and who you play with means more than what you have and how much money you have. We came together at the right time and we won some big games that we knew we could win. A lot of us went in there thinking we couldn't do it, but we ended up doing it. What a way to go out, beating the number one team twice in a month's time and I think we proved to everyone in the league that we could do it. It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life." - Jon Paul Ferrari

Golden Grizzlies return to Championship Game

2007-03-05T14:57:00.001-08:00

By: Rob Tate
Senior Reporter

TULSA, Ok -The Oakland University women’s basketball took care of business on Monday and put themselves one step close to a 2007 championship with a 75-60 thumping of the IUPUI Jaguars.

“We just wanted to go out there and get back to the championship game,” sophomore guard Jessica Pike said. Pike doesn’t know what its like to lose the Mid-Con tournament as she came off the bench as a freshman on last season’s Mid-Con title season.

Pike continued her success against IUPUI the season, showing poise and having an excellent shooting day. Pike went for 23 points on the game, one short of her career high that she clinched back in February at IUPUI.

Pike was selected to the All Mid-Con Conference team, but her scoring production had tailed off slightly at the end of the regular season. Pike only tallied 12 points over the last three regular season games, but has turned it up a notch for the tournament.

Freshman forward Hanna Reising had a solid game as well, netting 14 points on the afternoon, a grabbing a career high nine rebounds. The 5-11 Reising had a tough cover defensively for parts of the game, being matched up on IUPUI 6-5 freshman center Julia Whitted.

“Hanna doesn’t play like a freshman, so when I think about Hanna, I don’t think of her as a freshman. I just know she is going to step up and play really big,” Pike said of her teammate.

Senior Nicole Piggott didn’t have her greatest day offensively, but the win is all that matters. Piggott only shot one for nine on the game but made up for it with a career high nine free throws made to total 11 points.

“I think the nice thing about our team is that if you struggle it doesn’t matter because somebody else is there to have your back and pick up the slack,” Piggott said.

The Golden Grizzlies will do battle with Oral Roberts from Tulsa, OK for the championship tomorrow afternoon at 1:30. The game can be seen on ESPNU or Comcast Local.

ACHA Division 1 National Tournament

2007-03-05T06:01:00.001-08:00

UPDATED 9:01 am Monday

Keep up with the latest in the ACHA Tourney

Day 1
10:00 am #4 Rhode Island 5 vs. #13 West Virginia 3
11:00 am #5 Oklahoma 1 vs. #12 Delaware 2
1:00 pm #2 Ohio 2 vs. #15 Michigan-Dearborn 3 (OT)
2:00 pm #7 Lindenwood 4 vs. #10 Oakland 5
4:00 pm #1 Penn State 2 vs. #16 Robert Morris (PA) 1 (OT)
5:00 pm #3 Illinois 5 vs. #14 Washington & Jefferson 0
7:00 pm #8 Liberty 9 vs. #9 Kent State 1
8:00 pm #6 Iowa State 3 vs. #11 West Chester 6

Day 2
10:00 am #4 Rhode Island 3 vs. #12 Delaware 4
1:00 pm #10 Oakland 5 vs. #15 Michigan-Dearborn 1
4:00 pm #3 Illinois 8 vs. #11 West Chester 3
7:00 pm #1 Penn State 2 vs. #8 Liberty 1

Day 3
1:00 pm #1 Penn State 5 vs. #12 Delaware 2
4:00 pm #3 Illinois 2 vs. #10 Oakland 3

Day 4
4:00 pm #1 Penn State 1 vs. #10 Oakland 5

Leathernecks not so tough, Kangaroos next

2007-03-04T23:23:00.000-08:00

Oakland advances with ease in quarter finals
By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

The last time the Golden Grizzlies faced the Leathernecks of Western Illinois University, thousands of OU fans were left in dismay as the low-ranked team handed Oakland a 65-64 loss on the O'Rena floor.

Oakland was ready for them in last night's rematch and the Golden Grizzlies cruised to an easy 74-57 victory.

"Obviously, we were prepared to play," said head coach Greg Kampe. "I think Western had a season-changing win at our place and I think that really motivated us."

One player who surely had a fire lit under him was senior Rick Billings. After coming off the bench for a majority of the season due to injury, Derick Nelson gave him to okay to have his starting spot back for the tournament. After all, it could be Billings's last game in an OU uniform.

Riding on a career-high 4 3-pointers, Billings helped propel the Golden Grizzlies to a huge first half as they entered the locker rooms with a 41-19 lead. Oakland shot 63% from the field compared to WIU's 22% and 80% 3-point shooting versus the Leathernecks's 14%.

The second half showed signs of life for WIU as they more than doubled their shooting percentage. However, Oakland had too much of a lead for WIU to chip away at and with six players in double figures, WIU would have no choice but to take an early exit from the tournament.

"I think what as lost in all of that was how we defended," Kampe said. "I have a great coaching staff and they did a wonderful job preparing these guys for what Western does. We took it away from them in the first ten minutes of that game, so it was very pleasing."

With one game under their belt, Oakland will face UMKC tomorrow at 8:30 CST. The sixth seeded Kangaroos pulled a 86-74 upset over number three Valpo Sunday night.

Oakland to face IUPUI

2007-03-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

By: Rob Tate
Senior Reporter

IUPUI advanced to a semifinals matchup with the Golden Grizzlies with a close victory over Western Illinois on Sunday afternoon by a score of 56-51. IUPUI was led by Tanika Mays who charged off the bench with 18 points on the afternoon

Oakland is 1-1 on the season versus the Jaguars, losing their first conference game of the season to IUPUI back on January 8. The Golden Grizzlies however bounced back and defeated IUPUI 58-45 back on February 3. Sophomore guard Jessica Pike is averaging 18.5 points per game this season against the Jaguars, including a career-high 24 points in the victory against the Jaguars.

Oakland has struggled offensivly this season against IUPUI, both games the Golden Grizzlies shot less than 35%.

Oakland is 3-0 all-time versus IUPUI in Mid-Con tournament action, the last game coming nearly a year ago on March 6, 2006, when OU deafeated the Jaguars 66-54.

The game will tip at 1 p.m. eastern time on Monday, from the John Q. Hammons Arena in Tulsa, OK. The Oakland/IUPUI winner will take on the winner of the #2 Valparaiso versus #3 Oral Roberts battle that will take place at 3:30 p.m. eastern time. on Monday

How I spent my spring break: Days 4 & 5

2007-03-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

I've just come to the realization that tomorrow, my life will return to normal. This week has been amazing and I don't want it to end. Nothing else has mattered -- school, work... Nothing has crossed my mind. I've just been hanging out with the boys, watching some hockey, and having the time of my life. After tomorrow's game, I'll head back to reality, but for now, I'm living it up.

Friday
The four remaining teams -- Penn State, Illinois, Oakland and Delaware -- took the day off to rest up before the semi-finals. Our day consisted of lunch at the mall (where I made a stop at Build-A-Bear!) then heading to the rink for practice. The team looked much better than Tuesday, but then again, they hadn't just spent four hours cooped up on a bus after getting up at the wee hours of the morning. After practice, we had dinner before heading back to the hotel. Some of the guys went to a movie, but I opted to stay back and do some work -- which of course didn't get done.

Saturday vs. Illinois
Today was a waiting day, as our game didn't start until 4:00. It was nice not to rush in the morning, but it didn't help the nerves at all. After lunch and going back to the hotel for a little, we headed to the rink to watch the Penn State/Delaware game. Though Delaware was up 1-0 when we got there, Penn State came out on top with a 5-2 victory.

Then the nerves got to me.

I realized that if OU somehow managed to beat Illinois, we'd be playing Penn State in the finals.

But they still had to beat Illinois.

If the Illinois game wasn't the textbook definition of a semi-final thriller, I don't know what is. It was a hard-fought game by both teams and OU looked like a goner early in the game (sad to say, but I thought for sure they were done with all the penalties they took early on), but they overcame the odds and knocked off the #3 seed. Talk about an upset!

The first period was scary, as neither team scored. But OU turned up the heat in the second off goals from JP Ferrari and Will McMahon. Illinois added a goal before the buzzer to cut the Grizzlies' lead in half.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

With less than a minute and a half left, Illinois pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Only 1:19 remained when they tied it up 2-2.

But never fear, Super Will saved the day.

Before the face off following the goal, Hogan told JP to win the draw, then send it back to the D. He wanted the defense to chip it into the neutral zone and Tim Michaels did the job perfectly. He got the puck up to Cooper who fed it across the ice to McMahon. Illinois defense tried to get the puck, their forwards got caught up and McMahon walked in all alone on goalie Mike DeGeorge. He had all the time in the world, and of course, if you know McMahon, you know he delivered.

Fifty nine seconds left in regulation and the Grizzlies held the lead 3-2. All they had to do was hold on for those 59 seconds and they would meet Penn State in the finals.

I honestly don't remember anything else about those 59 seconds. All I know is that when time expired, the whole team stormed the ice and from my eagle's eye view, I've never been more proud of them.

For everyone who jumped off the bandwagon in November, for everyone who said they'd never make it to the tournament, let alone past the first round, the Grizzlies proved them wrong.

I'm not really sure what to expect going into tomorrow's game, but I do know that all I can do is hope for the best!

Operation Tulsa-Chapter 1: The Arrival

2007-03-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

One reporter's account of one hell of a trip
By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

After weeks of planning, fretting and dialing wrong numbers, yesterday was finally T-Day.

It was time to leave for Tulsa, Okla. to cover the Mid-Con basketball tournament, and it was my first time on a plane in almost seven years.

But I wouldn't be alone. Senior reporter Rob Tate was right by my side, along with Adam Roberts and Brad Doescher of WXOU Sports. Together, we boarded our first flight to O'Hare Airport in Chicago around 11 a.m.

Now, I've heard of bad flights. I've also heard of really bad flights.

This was worse, because apparently, Chicago is called "The Windy City" for a reason.

As it was time to land, our pilot announced there "could be some turbulance" as United Flight 335 started to descend.

Mental note to virgin flyers: "some turbulance" is a polite way of saying, "hope you're ready to taste your breakfast again."

As our plane rocked back and forth like that shake shack Sandy and Danny dance on at the end of "Grease," something strange happened.

Our plane halted its descent and shot back up into the atmosphere.

The pilot announced that we couldn't land yet due to almost 50 mph winds, so we would circle the runway for 10-12 minutes.

More than 25 minutes later, we were still in the air and the sky had taken on a color that some one dear to my heart refers to as, "Michigan Blight."

Finally, around 11:45, the pilot once again called for a preperation to land. This time, he followed through and after many silent prayers and gripping the armrest in a death grip, we finally landed at O'Hare. I've never been happier to touch solid ground in my entire life.

O'Hare....I wish I could desricbe it in one word. Oh wait, I can. INSANE. I've never seen so many people from so many cultural backgrounds in one place before.

I've also never seen this crazy tunnel thing.

Everybody seems to have their own O'Hare horror story. Here's ours.

11:35 EST. That's the time our flight to Tulsa was supposed to take off.

5 1/2. That's how many hours we were stuck at the airport.

And oh no, the delay wasn't weather related. A flight attendent just decided not to show up for work.

Talk about a butterfly effect.

So, how does one kill such an amount of time? Well, you pay $10.95 for a cheeseburger, pace Terminal B about 26 times, take many half-way naps, and think of people in Chicago to blame for your misfourtune (We came up with Rex Grossman, Sammy Sosa, Michael Jordan, and Oprah.)

When our badly-highlighted United employee (whom we lovingly referred to as "Frosty") announced we would board about 4 p.m., cheers ran out like the Golden Grizzlies had just nailed the game-winning shot. When another employee (this one named "Cornrows") let us onboard, I felt like kissing him.

This flight was fantastically smooth. And after being in such crappy weather, I got to sit back with my apple juice and see this.

Simply beautiful.

We finally landed in Tulsa about 7:15 CST and after a few scares at the baggage claim, we finally made it to the hotel after 8 p.m. CST.

The first thing we did after unloading our bags? We did what any Michigander would do.

We went to a Sonic.

That pretty much sums up our first day in Tulsa. Stay tuned for Rob's updates from the women's tournament and mine from the men's. I'll also continue to document our trip for your amusement.

Happy reading and go Grizzlies!

Women off to great start

2007-03-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

Rob Tate
Senior Reporter

Nicole Piggott proved on Saturday why she was named to the All-Conference team last week as she led Oakland to a less then thrilling 82-51 beat-down of the Ladies of Centenary College in first round action of the Mid-Con tournament.

Piggott playing in her final Mid-Con tournament stepped up with 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting. Piggott has been cruising since the end of the regular season. The senior averaged 22.3 points per game over her last three regular season games including a season high 28 points at UMKC on February 19.

Oakland got off to a rampant start causing a quick timeout by Centenary with a quick 6-0 run. The timeout only delayed the Golden Grizzlies. A lay-up by sophomore guard Jessica Pike on a fast break capped a 40-9 run with 5:44 remaining in the half.

Piggott along with her teammates tightened the vice on Centenary on the defensive side of the ball. Centenary shot only 27 percent from the field and Oakland wiped out the Ladies on the glass, crushing them 51-28 in rebounds.

The biggest blow against Centenary’s was their inability to get inside on Oakland’s interior defense. Centenary managed only five two-point field goals on the game.

Freshman Melissa Jeltema had here best offensive output of her career in her Mid-Con debut. Jeltema was relentless against Centenary, hitting many inside baskets, earning a career high 16 points.

Centenary made the score more respectable with Cierra Bush hitting three three-pointers and adding six free throws for a total of 17 points on the afternoon.

Oakland will play the winner of #4 IUPUI vs. #5 Western Illinois which will be played tomorrow at noon.

Look for the results of today’s game and tomorrow’s action here on The Oakland Post Sports Blog