ROCHESTER, Mich. -- Keith Benson may get all the publicity, but the Oakland Golden Grizzles are far more than a one-man team.
That fact was on vivid display Thursday night at Oakland's O'rena against the IUPUI Jaguars. Benson, last season's Summit League Player of the Year and rivals.com's No.5 center in the country, was limited to nine points and five rebounds in 23 foul-plagued minutes.
It didn't matter as the Grizzlies easily handled the Jaguars, 85-71, to improve to 5-0 in league play and 10-8 overall. IUPUI fell to 2-2 in league play and 8-9 overall.
Oakland has won 13 straight league games and 16 straight over league opponents. The Grizzles are 29-1 in their last 30 home games and 31-2 at the O'rena in the last three seasons.
Not only were the Grizzlies missing Benson most of the night, they also were playing without starting point guard Larry Wright, who injured his ankle Dec. 28 at Centenary and then aggravated it in practice. Wright played just three minutes in Oakland's last game, Dec. 30 at Oral Roberts.
"You're down your starting point guard, all-league player. You get down another player during the game and then late in the game, you get down a third player with a cramp (Drew Valentine)," Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. "We were always in control. We were always in great shape. This is just an amazing team at scoring points.
"We're averaging 90 points a game in league play, and we just find different ways to do it. Tonight was completely different than normal.
"They played a zone. They wanted to make sure Benson didn't get the ball, and we just started drilling shots and played with great confidence. We're really pleased to get this win and keep the streak alive."
Reggie Hamilton scored a career-best 28 points, including a career-best seven three-pointers, and added seven assists. Travis Bader had five threes of his own as he scored a career-best 18 to go along with his six rebounds.
"My teammates found me on the wide-open shots and just had to knock it down for them," the modest Hamilton said. "So I give all credit to them."
Kampe said Hamilton found something in Wednesday's practice.
"The last two or three games, he went through one of those lulls where it just didn't go in," Kampe said. "In practice this week, he wasn't making them either.
"Then (Wednesday) we have a four-on-four-on-four drill, a competition thing that we do the day before a game. His team was losing and in trouble, and what did you make, five in a row? And I was sitting there watching, going, 'He's back.' I think that's a big thing to do with it, he got his confidence back."
However, because Benson is such a focal point, his team did miss him when he was not on the floor.
"Two areas it changes," Kampe said. "One, almost every time we bring the ball up the floor we're trying to get it in his hands, so that changes what we're trying to do offensively. But the biggest change when he's not in there is defensively protecting the basket.
"Our defense is designed around him, so when he's out, we give up some easy baskets sometimes because we don't really protect the basket. We don't have that fear in the other team of driving in there. They drove in and shot easy shots, where when they know he's there, and they shoot high runners and things like that."
The Jaguars shot 42 percent from the floor, but Benson did block five shots in his limited time.
Although Kampe was asked about Benson and Hamilton, he brought up Valentine's name, saying if they were to give out game balls, he would have given him one.
"His effort tonight was Herculean," Kampe said. "He took a future pro in Alex Young, and even though Young got 18 points, it was a battle. Every basket he got was a battle.
"Valentine did a hell of a job on him. He played great offense. He was 6-for-6 at Oral Roberts the other day, came back tonight and went 4-for-8, 2-for-4 from the three, and he had nine rebounds also.
"He just is getting better every time he takes the floor, and that's why we have a good basketball team."
And on Thursday night, it was the team that lifted Benson for a change.
Jan. 7, 2011
