State college basketball: Transfer-heavy Oakland men romp in 65-point blowout opener

MAC men

Eastern Michigan 75, Wayne State 66: The Eagles soared past the Warriors in Ypsilanti, building a 15-point lead at the half before their Division II foe whittled it down with 46 second-half points, but the main attraction didn’t take the court: Former Ypsi high school standout Emoni Bates, who transferred from Memphis during the offseason and was briefly suspended over gun charges, did not play, reportedly due to coach Stan Heath’s decision. EMU had plenty enough without Bates, as five Eagles scored in double figures. They were led by Orlando Lovejoy, the prized recruit from Summit Academy North, who had 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The Eagles’ other notable addition, Legend Geeter (Providence, River Rouge), also starred with 10 points (on 5-for-10 shooting) and eight rebounds. Next up, the Eagles will face No. 22 Michigan at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

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Minnesota 61, Western Michigan 60: New head coach Dwayne Stephens, who spent much of the past two decades as Tom Izzo’s top assistant at MSU, didn’t get a win in his Broncos debut, but he did get a strong defensive effort as WMU held the Golden Gophers to just 26 points in the second half. Lamar Norman Jr. led the Broncos with 15 points, Markeese Hastings had seven points and 10 rebounds and freshman Seth Hubbard came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers en route to 13 points. Hubbard also had five steals as WMU outscored Minnesota 10-2 in the final 95 seconds in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers had a vast advantage in free throws, attempting 23 to the Broncos’ four. But Minnesota made just nine of their freebies (39.1%) while WMU made all four — two by Hubbard and two by fellow reserve Tafari Simms.

Horizon men

Oakland 92, Defiance 27: The Golden Grizzlies’ new-look roster, featuring transfers Lorne Bowman II (Wisconsin), Keaton Hervey (Missouri State) and Rocket Watts (Mississippi State, Michigan State), wasted little time romping over the Yellow Jackets, a Division III school from Ohio. OU scored the first 15 points in 6:48 and led 18-1 halfway through the first half en route to a 43-14 lead at the intermission. The Golden Grizzlies didn’t let up in the second half, either, opening with a 21-7 run over the first 6:37 coming out of the break.

Hervey led OU with 19 points; he hit all seven of his shots from the field, including three 3-pointers, and added two free throws on two attempts. Watts, the Old Redford Academy alumnus who averaged 4.4 points at Mississippi State last season, topped that average on his first two shots, hitting a 3 two minutes in and a layup about a minute later. He finished with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting and added a team-high four assists and two rebounds. Bowman came off the bench to add five points, though he attempted 10 shots from the field. He hit two, including one 3-pointer on four attempts.

The returning Golden Grizzlies were pretty good, too: Blake Lampman, in his fourth season at OU, also had a solid night, though he wasn’t as sharp from 3-point range; the Haslett alumnus had 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting, including 2-for-6 from 3-point range, and added three steals.  Trey Townsend, in his third season at OU, had 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Golden Grizzlies accomplished all their domination without possibly their best player: Jalen Moore, who averaged 15.5 points, 7.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds a game last season and was the only OU player named to the preseason All-Horizon League squad, did not play.

The difficulty level for OU will jump quickly this weekend; on Friday, the Golden Grizzlies host Bowling Green (7 p.m.) and at 3 p.m. Sunday, they’ll get a visit from Oklahoma State. OU took down OSU last season in Stillwater, Oklahoma, 56-55.

Big Ten women

Michigan State 86, Delaware State 37: Gabby Elliott, the former Miss Basketball who transferred from Clemson to MSU in the offseason, looked right at home as the Detroit Edison product had 14 points (on 5-for-8 shooting), six rebounds and two assists to lead the Spartans. Senior Moira Joiner added 13 points off the bench and fellow reserve Stephanie Visscher, a transfer from Stephen F. Austin, had 12 points and six rebounds. Next up, the Spartans host Western Michigan at 3 p.m. Sunday.

MAC women

Eastern Michigan 71, Lindenwood 56:  Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu ignited the Eagles’ season with 18 points (on 7-for-10 shooting), 11 rebounds, two blocks and a steal before fouling out against the Lions in Ypsilanti. Lachelle Austin added 16 points (on 6-for-14 shooting) and seven rebounds for EMU (1-0). The Eagles took control with a second quarter in which they held the Lions to just eight points while scoring 17 themselves. Senior Emily Benzschawel came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers en route to 14 points for Lindenwood, which is in its first season as a Division I school. Next up for EMU, the Eagles will visit SIU-Edwardsville at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Valparaiso 71, Central Michigan 64: The Beacons opened the second half with an 11-4 run over the first 3:28 to take control against the Chippewas. Sydney Harris took 25 of CMU’s 76 shots, making eight en route to a team-high 18 points, though she shot 2-for-16 from 3-point range. Anika Weekes had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Taylor Anderson added 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Next up, the Chips visit Oakland at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Loyola Chicago 60, Western Michigan 51: The Broncos managed just 16 points in the first half and trailed by 15 at the intermission. Taylor Williams was 10-for-15 shooting and had 21 points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Lauren Ross added 16 points and two steals for WMU, which next faces Michigan State in East Lansing at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Horizon women

North Dakota 70, Detroit Mercy 61: Emma Trawally Porta made a layup to give the Titans a 5-3 lead 64 seconds into Monday’s game in Grand Forks, North Dakota; it was the last point for UDM for 3:34 as the Fighting Hawks built a 14-5 lead. Trawally Porta finished with nine points and 11 rebounds, Irene Murua had 17 rebounds and freshman Amaya Burch led the Titans with 15 points. Next up for UDM, a visit to Xavier in Cincinnati at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Oakland 74, Akron 67: Kennedie Montue, who averaged 6.4 points in 7.9 minutes as a freshman for the Golden Grizzlies, led visiting OU with 21 points thanks to five 3-pointers on nine tries. Montue also had five rebounds and Breanne Beatty chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Golden Grizzlies. Next up, OU hosts Central Michigan at 2 p.m. Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Emoni Bates sits for EMU; Oakland men romp vs. WSU: State roundup