GREEN BAY, Wisconsin - The Oakland University men's basketball team dropped its first of two games in Wisconsin on week, falling to Green Bay, 73-69, at the Resch Center on Thursday night. Senior center Brad Brechting paced the Golden Grizzlies with 26 points and 14 rebounds. 

Brechting's 26 points marked a new season high and is the most points scored by the Cedar Springs native since dropping 32 against Cleveland State a season ago. Sophomore guard Rashad Williams - who was named eligible by the NCAA earlier in the day - finished with 16 points in his Oakland debut. 

Senior forward Xavier Hill-Mais finished with 10 points - marking his 15th-straight outing with double-digit points and 18th this season. His 13 rebounds marked the fifth double-double of his season and 11th of his career.

Amari Davis led Green Bay (8-11, 3-3 HL) with 22 points. JayQuan McCloud dished out a game-high seven assists to go with his 17 points. Kameron Hankerson rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Phoenix with 10. 

Down five, 71-66, sophomore guard Tray Maddox Jr. stepped into a three on the wing from Hill-Mais to make it a one-possession ballgame with seven second remaining. The Golden Grizzlies (7-12, 2-4 HL) wouldn't come closer, as the Phoenix knocked down a pair of free throws to put the contest out of reach. 

Davis kept coming up with answers to the Golden Grizzlies' rebuttals, scoring three-straight buckets for Green Bay as the clock approached under five to play. 

Midway through the second half, Green Bay engineered a run to build a five-point lead heading into the under-eight minute media. The Phoenix outscored Oakland 12-3 over the five minute stretch. 

Brechting notched his third double-double of the season, eighth of his career, by half - leading all scorers with 16 points and pulling down 10 boards - five of which were on the offensive glass. Hill-Mais had 10 rebounds and eight points by half. 

Oakland led for 16:20 of the first half, taking a 38-35 edge into the locker room. The 38 points was the highest first-half output for the Golden Grizzlies since the league opener against Detroit on December 28 - 46. Oakland has been in a one-possession game at the half six times this season - the Golden Grizzlies are 2-4 in those outings. 

The Phoenix took their first lead of the contest at the 5:17 mark of the first half, 28-27, and kept the run going, scoring six-more points to cap off a 12-0 spurt. It was part of a larger run of 29-8 that spanned just over 10 minutes of action.

Oakland jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead, making its first three shots from the field. Brechting had seven points before the first media, which had Oakland ahead 14-4.

Coming out of the timeout, Williams and Maddox Jr. combined for five more points, as Williams knocked down his first triple as a Golden Grizzly. Maddox Jr. swiped a loose ball and finished on the fast break to push the advantage to 19-4.

Oakland will travel to Milwaukee to take on the Panthers on Saturday, January 18. Tipoff from UWM Panther Arena is set for 7 pm ET. Milwaukee comes off a 90-84 loss to Detroit on Thursday. 

Notes

• Rashad Williams was named eligible by the NCAA on January 16, announced the League and Director of Athletics Steve Waterfield. Williams transferred from Cleveland State where he averaged 10.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game during the 2018-19 season. 
• Williams made his first appearance as a Golden Grizzly and first start. Joining Williams in the starting lineup was Brad Brechting, Xavier Hill-Mais, Tray Maddox Jr. and Kevin Kangu. 
• Oakland started on an 11-0 run, making its first three shots from the field. Brechting had seven points before the first media, which had Oakland ahead 14-4. 
• The three-point streak was extended to 989 by Tray Maddox Jr. The last time Oakland did not convert a shot from behind the arc was on Jan. 30, 1988 vs. Wayne State University. The Golden Grizzlies have hit a three-ball in 989-consecutive games, which is the seventh-longest streak in the NCAA.
• Rashad Williams' first bucket as a Golden Grizzly came early in the first half from deep. 
• Xavier Hill-Mais finished with 10 points - marking his 15th-straight outing with double-digit points and 18th this season. His 13 rebounds marked the fifth double-double of his season and 11th of his career. 
• Oakland has had at least three scorers in double figures in seven-straight outings. The Golden Grizzlies have had five double-digit scorers twice this year. The last time the Golden Grizzlies had just one double-digit scorer was against No. 16/15 Michigan State on Dec. 14.
• The Phoenix took their first lead of the contest at the 5:17 mark of the first half, 28-27, and kept the run going, scoring six-more points to cap off a 12-0 spurt. It was part of a larger run of 29-8 run. 
• Brad Brechting had his third double-double of the season by half, finishing the first 20 minutes with 16 points and 10 rebounds - five of which came on the offensive glass. 
• Brad Brechting's 12 free throw attempts was a new career high, while the 10 makes tied his career best.  
• Brad Brechting's 26 points were a season high and the most since scoring 32 vs. Cleveland State on Feb. 2, 2019.