Youth Movement

By Tim Rath

Contributing Reporter

Any remaining doubt that the Oakland University women’s basketball team is a force in the Summit League was left somewhere in Macomb, Ill. Saturday. 



Disappointed after an upset loss at IPFW the week before, the Golden Grizzlies took their frustrations out on first-place Western Illinois. 



Long before the 72-46 victory was decided, OU’s statement was made.



OU sophomore guard Melissa Jeltema notched her third double-double of the season, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies in both categories. 



Junior guard April Kidd tallied 13 points and six rebounds, and junior guard Jessica Pike added 10 points. Off the bench for the Grizzlies, freshman guard Stacy Farrell passed for eight assists in 12 minutes and senior Charlese Greer scored 10 points. 



Oakland led throughout, beginning the game with a 13-0 run and going into halftime with an 11 point lead on the strength of 59 percent shooting. 



The Grizzlies opened the half with a 15-4 run, pushing the lead to 22, and never looked back. WIU trimmed the lead to 17 with 7:48 left to play, but another OU run, fueled by the bench, ended the game with a 26-point blowout win.



OU overpowered the taller Leathernecks lineup in the paint, grabbing 38 rebounds while holding them to 21, and moved the ball better, counting 25 assists on 32 baskets.



The road trip, however, didn’t end as well as the Grizzlies could have hoped, as they fell to IUPUI on Monday.



Leading by five points with just over two minutes to play, OU couldn’t finish off the Jaguars and lost in heartbreaking fashion, by a 64-61 score.



Jeltema led the Grizzlies with a 16-point, eight-rebound game, while Pike added 11 points in the losing effort. 



Sophomore forward Hanna Reising contributed 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists, but it wasn’t enough as IUPUI took the lead on a layup with 12 seconds remaining.



Despite winning the rebounding battle by a 29-25 tally, and shooting 62 percent, the Grizzlies couldn’t answer IUPUI’s size advantage in the second half.



Helped by 6-foot-5 sophomore center Julia Whitted’s 19 points and seven rebounds, the Jaguars held OU to 35 percent shooting and forced nine turnovers in the second half.



The loss dips OU’s record to 13-6 ,6-3 Summit League.



The Grizzlies return home on Thursday to play the South Dakota State Bisons at the O’Rena. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.