By Tim Rath

ROCHESTER ‒ Shooting a

basketball is often similar to the snow of recent Michigan winters: sometimes

it falls, sometimes it doesn’t.

The Oakland University women’s basketball team played what

one might call a “global warming” game on Monday.

The Golden Grizzlies shot 35 percent from the field en

route to their third consecutive close loss, a 58-54 defeat at the hands of

North Dakota State.

“We got good shots, they just weren’t falling,” said junior

guard Jessica Pike. “We weren’t rebounding well and we weren’t able to get fast

breaks.”

Pike led Oakland scorers with a team-high 14 points on 6

for 10 shooting and three assists.

Sophomore guard Melissa Jeltema notched her fourth

double-double of the season, scoring ten points and grabbing ten rebounds.

Sophomore forward Hanna Reising scored ten points to round

out Grizzlies in double figures.

OU got off to a quick start against North Dakota State,

leading by as many as 12 points after a fast break lay-up by Jeltema with 10:52

remaining in the first half. The Bison bounced back with a 12-2 run to pull

within two at 22-20 with 5:59 remaining the first half.

From there, the Bison kept Pike on the bench with two fouls

and used their size advantage to keep the score close, going into halftime

trailing OU by five at 33-28.

The Grizzlies led by as many as seven in the second half,

but North Dakota State took advantage of an OU shooting slump to knot the game

at 41-41 with 12:31 left on the clock.

OU surged ahead once more to lead 47-41 after a fast break

layup from junior guard April Kidd, but once again, the Bison closed the gap

and took a one-point lead at 49-50 with just over four minutes remaining.

A jumper from Reising put OU back in the lead at 54-52 with

2:30 to go, but North Dakota State managed to keep the Grizzlies’ offense

silent for the rest of the game. Two layups from NDSU’s 6-foot-2 center Jerri

Penley gave the Bison the lead and the win 58-54.

OU managed to force 21 turnovers, but lost the rebounding

advantage, 41-35, and passed for a season-low 11 assists.

NDSU held the Grizzlies to 1 for 14 shooting from beyond

the arc, and only allowed OU to get to the foul line three times throughout the

game.

“Our game plan is to get to the line,” said head coach

Beckie Francis. “We did the opposite.”

Oakland played without senior forward Charlese Greer, who

was out with an injury, but according to Francis, can be expected to play in OU’s

next game.

The loss drops the Grizzlies’ record to 13-8 overall, and 6-5 in Summit

League competition. They’ll look to snap their skid Saturday, Feb. 9, as they

travel to Shreveport, La., to take on Centenary. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.