In the ebb and flow of the lengthy season, a general rule for success is often a diverse scoring attack and a wide array of contributors.

The Oakland University men’s basketball team (11-8) put both of those qualities on display Saturday night, defeating Western Illinois, 79-50, to improve to 6-0 in Summit League play.

All five starters had 10 points or more, three of which also recorded a double-double.

“I’m really pleased with the game,” head coach Greg Kampe said. “I think there could have been a lull when you’re playing a team that’s record isn’t outstanding. But I think we played like a championship team that just goes about its business. They’re committed to winning and this was a night they could have backed off that commitment but they didn’t and that’s why they won by 29 points.”

The Golden Grizzlies, who have been bitten by the injury bug lately, were without sophomore guard Ledrick Eackles, while starting point guard Larry Wright was only available in a limited role.

Senior Will Hudson led the way with an efficient 18-point performance for OU.

“A lot of things happen in the course of the season, so it’s important to pick each other up and push each other more (to be better),” Hudson said.

Western Illinois came out of the gate shooting, as the Leathernecks scored eight points on their first four possessions. But the Grizzlies defense quickly gained composure.

Trailing 8-7 with 17:20 remaining in the first half, Oakland spent the next 20 minutes of gameplay outscoring Western Illinois 44-10. WIU was held without a point for nearly nine minutes in one stretch as Oakland led 51-18 early in the second half.

Grizzlies center Keith Benson got off to a slow start, but finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds. He also inched closer to the conference record for blocks with five more rejections.

“(Benson) got a little frustrated because he was getting beat up pretty good and the whistle wasn’t coming as quick as he would have liked,” Kampe said. “Offensively we weren’t clicking (early on), but we were defending, so you knew at some point we were going to start making shots and that run was going to come.”

In the absence of Wright, junior guard Reggie Hamilton assumed the role of point guard again and responded with a career-high 10 assists while committing just a single turnover. He also chipped in with 10 points for his first-ever double-double.

“The game he had Thursday night, I think he came of age,” Kampe said. “And to come back today, he didn’t look for his shot but rather looked for assists. The thing that he does better than Larry is he brings the ball up the floor faster. In a way, he’s actually better for us at the point, but we need Larry back at full strength.”

Redshirt freshman Travis Bader followed up a career-high 18 points in Thursday’s win with 15 more against WIU. His 3-point shooting was once again a catalyst for the Grizzlies offense in the first half as he continually knocked down open looks in the corner.

“It really just comes with repetition in practice,” Bader said. “The chemistry on the team is great so when we’re on the floor, we know where each other are.”

Kampe said the recent injuries have allowed players like Bader and sophomore Drew Valentine to gain playing time and, more importantly, confidence.

“With Larry’s injury, it put (Valentine) in a position where he had to play. And he stopped, stood back, and realized, ‘I’m pretty good if I just slow down and let the game come to me.’ He has been unbelievable his last three games. He’s playing as well as anyone in our league right now.”

Valentine reached new career-highs in points (17) and rebounds (14) Saturday night.

With the win, the Grizzlies extended their streak of consecutive league victories to 14 games, three games short of the conference record.

The most difficult portion of Oakland’s remaining schedule begins Saturday with a trip to IPFW (10-5, 5-1) in the first of a 3-game road trip.

“If we win those three, then we become the greatest team in the history of the league in terms of consecutive wins,” Kampe said. “We tied the record last year at 16, but then we lost. Where we’re at and what we do, as long as we keep winning, we don’t have to worry about anything but ourselves.”

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Dan Fenner is the Senior Editor of The Oakland Post and covers Oakland University basketball.  You can follow him on Twitter @DanFenner for updates and analysis throughout the week.