Oakland, Mich. 91, W. Illinois 82

2/23/2008 8:27 PM

ROCHESTER, Mich. (AP)Senior guard Brandon Cassise's five 3-pointers led Oakland University to a 91-82 win over Western Illinois on Saturday night.

Cassise had 21 points on 5-for-9 shooting from behind the arc to give the Golden Grizzlies (15-12, 10-6 Summit League) their second straight win.

Junior Derick Nelson added 24 points, nine rebounds and three assists, falling just short of his 12th career double-double.

Guard David DuBois had 20 points and freshman guard James Washington added 18 to lead Western Illinois (12-16, 7-10), as the Leathernecks suffered their second straight road loss.

A technical foul on Washington and four straight successful foul shots gave the Golden Grizzlies a 15-point lead with 5:48 left in the second half.

The Leathernecks pulled within eight with 2:43 left. But Oakland's defensive effort down the stretch sealed the victory.

Oakland dominated the second half, after trailing much of the opening 20 minutes.

Junior guard Erik Kangas nailed a 3-point bomb with two seconds left before halftime to help the Golden Grizzlies eke out a 41-40 edge at the break.

Cassise's 3-pointer two minutes into the second half gave Oakland a 46-45 edge it never relinquished.

The victory bumped Oakland into sole possession of third place in the conference standings with two games left before the Summit League tourney in Tulsa, Okla.

Western Illinois fell to 2-12 on the road for the season.

Junior forward Dan Waterstradt recorded a block in the second half to give Oakland 101 on the season and set a school record, breaking the 2004 team's mark of 100.