By TIM RATH

Contributing Reporter

ROCHESTER — Some would call the Oakland University women’s basketball team unconventional because of their motion offense.

Coach Beckie Francis would disagree.

“We definitely have a weird practice,” she laughed after Monday’s win. “We spend 75 percent of our time on defense, 20 percent on passing, and maybe 5 percent shooting … we’re diving around, rolling, getting rug burns. Our players take pride in getting every loose ball.”

Francis had every right to be jovial. The 93-43 victory over the Centenary Ladies began with a 28-0 run that was marked by an impenetrable defense, hustle, and a well-executed motion offense. Centenary’s first field goal did not come until the 6:01 mark in the first half, when Karolina Zaloga’s jumper pulled the score to 33-4.

“We wanted to keep them from scoring,” said sophomore guard Melissa Jeltema. “Our defense was doing really well and we wanted to keep it up.”

Jeltema was one of four Golden Grizzlies to score double-digit points, chipping in 18 on 8-for-11 shooting and leading the team with nine rebounds. Junior guard Jessica Pike led all scorers with 22 points, and sophomore forward Hanna Reising added 16 points before leaving the game with an injury in the second half.

“Sure enough, (Reising) told me right afterwards, ‘Don’t worry coach, I’ll be in practice next week,'” Francis said. 

But the stifling Oakland defense remained the story of the game throughout, despite Oakland’s 49 percent team shooting percentage and 18 offensive rebounds. They dominated the taller Centenary team on the glass by a 46-27 mark, forced 28 turnovers, and hit the deck for loose balls even as Centenary essentially conceded defeat. 

“We were emotionally and physically tired (from Saturday’s win over Oral Roberts). But with the way that we practice, hustle becomes a habit,” said Francis. “Give credit to our strength coach, Glenn McIntosh, for that. He puts (the team) through weight training… plus, he goes to the games to make sure they actually use it.”

Credit also goes to strong play off of the bench, which continued the vice-like defensive play throughout the game and extended the largest lead to 51 in the second half. Senior forward Charlese Greer scored 14 points and added six rebounds, while freshman guard Stacy Farrell tied a career-high for assists with seven. 

The win was OU’s third this season by more than 50 points, and pushed their record to 5-1 Summit League, 12-4 overall. Their next game comes Saturday at 1:00 p.m. when they travel to Fort Wayne, Ind. to face off against IPFW.