Sophomore center/forward Corey Petros finished with a career-high 28 points as the Golden Grizzlies defeated Omaha 96-81 at Ralston Arena Saturday.

Senior forward Drew Valentine finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.

Oakland (11-13, 6-4 Summit) fell behind Omaha (5-7, 8-17 Summit) 17-9 in the first half. They regained the lead after a three-pointer from junior guard Ryan Bass made it 22-21.

From there, it was a game of back and forth as both teams kept it close and traded baskets. The score was tied nine times and the lead changed eight times in the first half alone.

Omaha ended the first half on top, 47-43. Oakland shot 45.2 percent in the first while Omaha had a 58.1 shooting percentage. The three-point game favored Omaha early on, as they were 4-8 beyond the arc while Oakland was just 2-13.

The second half picked up where the first left off, with both teams keeping the game tight. Oakland got out to a 7-point lead to make it 77-70 with just under seven minutes left to play.

From there, Oakland outscored Omaha 19-11 on their way to a 96-81 victory.

The Grizzlies shot much better in the second half, going 18-30 for 60 percent and holding Omaha to 47.1 percent shooting.

Junior guard Travis Bader finished the game with 24 points and was 13-14 at the free throw line.

Oakland will return home to play North Dakota State at the O’rena Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.