Reggie Hamilton scored 23 points and Keith Benson added 19 points and five rebounds as top-seeded Oakland moved on to the second round of the Summit League tournament with a convincing 82-66 win over Southern Utah.
Jackson Stevenett poured in a game-high 24 points, Ray Jones Jr had 13 and Ramell Taylor had 12 for Southern Utah (11-19, 7-11 Summit), but no one else could muster more than six points for the Thunderbirds.
Oakland led by 12 at halftime and was never really threatened as the Grizzlies scored their second straight win over the Thunderbirds. Oakland beat Southern Utah a week ago on Feb. 26 by a nearly identical score, 82-68.
Oakland (23-9, 17-1) moves on to play to play the winner of Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne and South Dakota State, which tips off tomorrow at 6 p.m. on ESPN3. Oakland, which beat then No. 7 Tennessee on Dec. 14, will go for its seventh-straight win in the contest as they try to pad their NCAA tournament resume.
The Grizzlies have won 16 of their last 17 games, with the only loss coming on Feb. 5 to Indiana-Purdue. Oakland nearly beat then No. 8 Michigan State three days before the Tennessee upset, losing a 77-76 heartbreaker.