The Oakland University men’s basketball improved their conference record to 2-0 Thursday afternoon by defeating Western Illinois 75-63 at the O’Rena.

The game was competitive from the get-go, as the two teams kept it close until midway through the second half when Oakland opened up a ten-point lead and didn’t look back.

“I think it’s a great win for us,” head coach Greg Kampe said. “Any time you win a Division I game, it’s good. Any time you win a home league game, it’s good. I’m very pleased with it. We couldn’t shoot the ball at all and we have had a lot of days like that this year. Good teams learn how to win when they don’t make shots.”

The Grizzlies struggled to shoot the ball from the field in the first half, making just 31 percent of their shots but were able to stay in the game largely due to their defensive play.

After trailing for nearly the entire first half, the Grizzlies center Keith Benson converted a field goal attempt in the final seconds to put OU up by one point, 33-32, at the break.

The Grizzlies shooting improved considerably in the second half and they played nearly mistake-free basketball with just three turnovers in the entire game. Conversely, the Leathernecks turned the ball over 19 times leading to a sizable amount of OU’s points.

“We had 69 shots and they had 45, so there’s the wear down effect,” Kampe said. “We got that because of our offensive rebounding and because we only turned the ball over three times.”

Oakland put an exclamation point on their victory with 1:26 to play when Larry Wright converted an awkward 3-pointer to beat the shot clock buzzer, giving the Grizzlies a 14-point lead.

Benson led all scorers with 20 points to go with six rebounds and two blocks despite limited first half playing time due to a couple of early fouls.

Three other Grizzlies – Johnathon Jones, Derick Nelson, and Wright – finished with double figures in points.

Unlike some of the team’s disappointing losses from a year ago, OU was able to maintain its composure down the stretch while playing with the lead.

“We’re a veteran team and we are supposed to be able to close out games like this,” Nelson said.  “Me and (Johnathon Jones) have been through these types of games before and we have lost them before. Being veterans, this is what we are supposed to do. It’s all about mental toughness.”

Oakland has now won 19 of its last 20 home games, with the only loss coming to Eastern Michigan in the season opener in November.

The Grizzlies (8-7, 2-0) will host IUPUI Jan. 2 at 5:30 p.m. before taking to the road with a pair of games at Oral Roberts and Centenary College.

Games Notes:

–         Oakland has now defeated Western Illinois in seven straight games.

–         Larry Wright went 5-7 from the free-throw line, missing a shot for the first time all season.

–         OU set a new season-low with just three turnovers committed.

–         With two more blocks against WIU, Keith Benson now has 49 on the season, and is on pace to top the school’s single-season record that he set last season (87) as a sophomore.