Grizzlies fall to U-M at the Palace
The Oakland University men’s basketball team (6-4) couldn’t stop the offensive of the University of Michigan Wolverines (7-2) in what may have been the final matchup between the two Saturday afternoon, losing the game 90-80.
The teams won’t be competing again for a while, according to U-M basketball coach John Beilein.
“(Not playing Michigan) hurts us,” Grizzlies Head Coach Greg Kampe said. “It’s not going to kill us. Our philosophy of scheduling won’t change.”
Guard Reggie Hamilton led the game with 28 points and was perfect from the free-throw line, shooting 12 for 12.
U-M held the hot hand from the three-point line for the entire game, particularly in the second half, shooting 70 percent (19 of 27). Guard Tim Hardaway Jr. went five of nine from the arc, finishing with 21 points.
“We wanted to take the pick and roll away and (force them) to make shots,” Kampe said. “That was the game plan and well, they did it. I give them a lot of credit for stepping up and making them.”
The Grizzlies struggled early, shooting 1-8 from the three-point line in the first half.
“We missed shots because we were in a hurry and Petros didn’t touch the ball for the first eight or nine minutes of the game,” Kampe said.
After rebounding from a 14 point deficit in the first half with a 13-4 run, Travis Bader, who finished with 14 points, drained a three pointer to tie the game at 32-32 to end the first half.
Opening the the second half, Oakland shot 4-5 from the field, but turnovers and seven straight fouls opened the door for U-M.
U-M transfer Laval Lucas-Perry finished with 14 points against his former team but said the game wasn’t as emotional as he expected.
“It just felt like another team we had to beat,” Lucas-Perry said. “The ball just didn’t bounce our way.”
After having a career night against Ohio on Wednesday, Corey Petros (12 points, 8 rebounds) battled with U-M forward Jordan Morgan (nine points, eight rebounds). Forward Drew Valentine added ten points.
“I gotta work hard to get better position,” Petros said. “Its my job to command the ball when necessary.”
With two straight losses, Hamilton believes that the team is still confident and will maintain their focus for the rest of the season.
“Our heads are still high,” Hamilton said. “Our mission is winning our conference and tournament.”
Oakland is now 2-4 when playing at the Palace of Auburn Hills, with two of those wins against then No. 23 Oregon, Oakland’s first top 25 win.
The Grizzlies face off against Rochester College on Tuesday in the O’rena at 7 p.m.
