DETROIT, Mich. – Behind 19 points from Caron Williams and a hard-nosed effort on the offensive glass, Macomb Men's Basketball earned their fourth straight victory Saturday (Jan. 24), defeating No. 17 Oakland Community College, 86-78, at the Matthaei Center in Detroit. 

Williams added three rebounds and three assists in his latest strong performance as Macomb moved to 11-9 overall and 4-1 in MCCAA Eastern Conference play after never trailing in the ranked victory. The Owls fell to 15-4 overall and 3-2 in league action with the road setback.

The Monarchs set the tone early with a concerted effort tin the opening period, leading by as many as 10 points and only allowing one tie before settling on a 41-37 edge at the break. Jaylon Jackson had a team-high nine points in the first half for the Monarchs, while Keithan Gilmore added eight first half points.

The Monarchs continued to maintain the lead in the second half and held off multiple Owl comeback attempts as they out-scored the visitors, 45-41, over the final 20 minutes to earn the hard-fought victory. 

Joey Angok scored 13 points and pulled down a team-best seven rebounds, while Gilmore finished his afternoon with 12 points. Alongside Jackson, Malachi Irving and Donald Wilburn chipped in nine points each. Both Wilburn and Irving grabbed six boards with Irving collecting half on the offensive glass while Wilburn grabbed two offensive boards. The duo accounted for half of the team's offensive rebounds and helped the Monarchs post a decisive 13-1 advantage in second chance points.

Justin Gloster netted six points and Tabari Howard added four points, three assists and a block. 

The Monarchs will remain in the city of Detroit Wednesday (Jan. 28), but this time for a road tilt at nearby Wayne County Community College District. Tip-off between the Monarchs and Wildcats is set for 7:30 p.m. at WCCCD's Curtis L. Ivery Recreation Center.