Benson powers Oakland, Mich., past UMKC 85-70
Player of the year Keith Benson's 17th double-double led Oakland, Mich., to an 85-70 victory over UMKC in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament Saturday night.
Benson finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Golden Grizzlies (24-8), who are riding a nine-game winning streak and are the top seeds for the first time.
Larry Wright led all scorers with 16 points. Derick Nelson had 14, Johnathan Jones 13 and Blake Cushingberry 10 for Oakland, which will play Monday against the winner of Sunday's game pitting No. 4 South Dakota State and No. 5 IPFW.
Spencer Johnson's 14 points paced the eighth-seeded Kangaroos (12-18). LaTreze Mushatt had 13 and Trey McKinney-Jones 11.
The Golden Grizzlies shot 55.6 percent (30 of 54) from the floor and 42.1 percent (8 of 19) from 3-point range. They also outrebounded UMKC 46-23.
Oakland tied the school record with its 24th win.