ROCHESTER, Mich. - After a back-and-forth first-half that left Western Illinois and Oakland knotted up at 33 each heading into the break, the Leathernecks picked up the intensity in the second, leaving Oakland's home court with a 71-61 victory.
"We had tremendous senior leadership tonight," said head coach Jim Molinari when asked about his seniors.
"Tommie set the tone early. He was not going to be denied, and was very verbal. Ceola (Clark) handled the ball well and had a typical stat line. It was just a great effort by those guys. Then you have Terell (Parks) who is becoming so dominant too, and I thought Obi (Emegano) made some good shots as well."
Oakland held an early three-point lead, but that didn't last long as Western captured the lead just three minutes into the game, and while the Golden Grizzlies tied it up three times, they never regained the lead.
Western improves to 8-5 overall and 3-2 in Summit League games, while Oakland drops its sixth straight, falling to 8-10 and 2-4 in league contests.
The road win over Oakland marks the fifth-ever against the Golden Grizzlies, and the first since February 8th, 2007 when the Leathernecks defeated Oakland on the road. The victory also marks the first conference road win of the season.
Four Leathernecks finished in the double-figures, led by senior guard Ceola Clark III with 19 points and six assists. Senior guard Tommie Tyler and junior forward Terell Parks each tallied 16, and freshman guard Obi Emegano finished with 11.
Tyler's 16 points matches a season-high and they all came in the first-half.
Tommie Tyler kicked things off early for the Leathernecks, scoring the team's first seven points, hitting a three, a two, and a pair of free throws, lifting the team to an early 7-5 lead.
Western put together a 9-3 run to take a 13-6 advantage, thanks to a jumper and triple from Clark, another jumper from Tyler, and a pair of free throws from Parks.
After the two teams battle back-and-forth for a few minutes, Western again put a run together, this time a 6-0 run, giving them a 24-15 lead. Clark to sophomore center David Gebru for two, a fast break jumper from Emegano, and a shot clock buzzer beater from junior forward Don McAvoy III highlighted the run.
Oakland put together a nice run of its own, knotting things up at 26-26 with 5:34 left in the first. However, Parks finished a tough bucket under the basket and Tyler connected on his second triple of the game, putting Western back on top, 31-26 heading into the final media timeout of the half.
A pair of threes tied the game back up at 31 with just under three minutes left in the first, but Tyler drained another tough jumper to regain the Leathernecks' lead.
The Golden Grizzlies would tie things back up, however, and the back-and-forth first half would end tied up at 33 each.
Tyler finished the first with 16 points, hitting on 6-of-8 field goals, 2-2 from beyond the arch, and 2-2 from the charity stripe. He also had two assists and three steals (a career-high).
Parks opened up the second scoring the first six points for Western, helping them cling to a 39-38 lead after the first media timeout.
Western gradually started to pull away, taking a 53-44 lead into the final seven minutes of regulation.
Oakland wasn't going to give up easy, as they answered with a 6-0 run to cut Western's lead to three points, 53-50. The run came courtesy of a three from sophomore guard Travis Bader and a three-point play from senior guard Reggie Hamilton.
The Leathernecks answered Oakland's run with one of their own, this time a 9-0 run to put them up 12, 62-50, capped off by Emegano slamming the ball home heading into the final media timeout.
The exclamation point to Western's victory came when Clark drove into two defenders, leaving Parks alone under the hoop. Clark lobbed it up to Parks who finished it with authority, silencing the Oakland fans and putting the finishing touches on a 71-61 Leatherneck triumph.
Western (8-5, 3-2) will continue its Summit League road swing with a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana Saturday to face the IPFW Mastodons. The two teams are slated to get under way at 1:30 p.m. (CT)
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