With the beginning of the new year, the Golden Grizzlies were hoping to start it off right with a resolution to etch more tallies in the wins column.

Oakland went a disappointing 4-6  in the month of December and fell to their last four opponents by an average of 16.5 points, including a 27-point rout by the hands of North Dakota State.

Extending their losing streak to five, rival Oral Roberts took control Tuesday night by taking out OU 89-80 in their last game at the O’Rena as a member of the Summit League.

“It’s not getting any better obviously,” Head Coach Greg Kampe said. “Our defensive performance tonight was as poor as you probably could come up with.”

Lack of defense on the Grizzlies end allowed for ORU to nail 11 of 15 three-pointers, eight of nine in the second half alone.

“Give Oral Roberts all the credit in the world,” Kampe said. “To make 11 of 16 from the three, whether you’re in a gym by yourself or being guarded, is a tough thing to do.”

Oral Roberts took it the hoop with ease while staying relatively unpressured, scoring 38 points in the paint compared to Oakland’s 36.

Five players from Oral Roberts reached double figures including forward Dominique Morrison who went 75 percent from the three-point line and finished with a team-high 20 points.

On top of their defensive woes, the Oakland offense has continued to not find their stride.

The Grizzlies shot just 39 percent in the opening 20 minutes, two of eight from three-point range, and a season-low of 26 points in the first half.

“I’m not happy with anything. Our offense in the first half was pitiful,” Kampe said. “We seemed to have a scared look on our face and seemed to be wondering ‘What’s going on?’”

Oakland shot 45 percent overall and went 31 of 68, compared to Oral Robert’s 66 percent figure.

Senior guard Reggie Hamilton, who finished with a game-high 28, had trouble getting shots to fall his way early, going 1-for-7 in the first half.

Even though Hamilton opened the second half with seven points to cut the lead to four, Oral Roberts followed with a 15-4 run to extend their lead.

“I’m really at a loss for words right now,” Hamilton said. “I made some shots, but I didn’t make enough.”

Sophomore guard Travis Bader broke his streak of going 0-for-9 from the three-point line, by going three of six, and finished with 16 points.

Another sophomore in the backcourt, Ryan Bass, who missed an early chunk of the season with a concussion, provided energy in the second half off the bench. He finished with six points and dished five assists with no turnovers.

Kampe said that he expects Bass to get more minutes in the next game.

“I think Ryan Bass is a sparkplug. He was playing well before he got injured and was moving into some major minutes before (he went out),” Kampe said. “He brings some defensive pressure to the table and he also brings some quickness.”

Oakland was out-rebounded by the Eagles 31-26, but scored 18 points off as many turnovers.

“The good is that I still believe we have a chance by March to be a good basketball team because of our youth,” Kampe said. “The bad is that the mental toughness isn’t very good right now.”

The last time that OU lost five consecutive games was in 2004-05 when the Grizzlies started the season 0-7.

“There’s something wrong and we have to fix it,” Kampe said. “We don’t have a sense of urgency as a team and we are a very complacent team that feels sorry for itself.”

Even with the loss, Oral Roberts still leads the series with an all-time record of 17-13.

The Grizzlies will take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks (6-5, 1-2) in the second of a three-game homestand on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.

Western Illinois, who was not favored in preseason polls, have changed some minds with a 6-5 overall record, which included a close 59-55 loss to then No. 17 Michigan.

The Leatherbacks return senior point guard Ceola Clark III, a former Summit League Defensive Player of the Year (2009-10) has averaged 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds this season and scored a game-high 21 points against Michigan.

Kevin Romanchik is the Sports Editor for the Oakland Post. He covers the men’s basketball team for Oakland University as well as other local sports. You can email him at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Ro.