YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Oakland University men's basketball team fell in the final seconds to Youngstown State, 61-60, on Thursday, January 9, at the Beeghly Center. Senior Xavier Hill-Mais paced the Golden Grizzlies with his 13th-straight double-figure scoring night, finishing with 15 points and three assists. 

Sophomore Tray Maddox Jr. finished with 11 points - nine of which came in the first half. Maddox Jr. extended his three-point streak to at least one triple in 10-consecutive games. Freshman Madison Monroe rounded out Oakland's double-digit scorers with 10. Monroe is averaging 9.3 points per game over the past three outings. 

The Golden Grizzlies (6-11, 1-3 HL) lost the battle on the glass, finishing with a -10 margin. Sophomore Daniel Oladapo came in off the bench to lead the team with eight boards. 

Michael Akuchie and Darius Quisenberry paced the Penguins (10-7, 3-1 HL) with 20 and 15 points, respectively. Akuchie finished with a game-high 10 points to complete his double-double performance, as Naz Bohannon pulled down nine rebounds. 

Second chance points played a major factor in the final tally, as Youngstown State turned 19 offensive rebounds into 21 points to Oakland's 12. 

Out of a timeout, behind 59-58 with seven seconds to play, Oladapo found Hill-Mais in the paint for the go-ahead bucket. YSU followed with an answer of its own, inbounding to Quisenberry, who then took it the length of the floor for the game-winner. 

Trailing 54-53 with 4:44 to go, Monroe buried a corner three to give the Golden Grizzlies a two-point edge. It was Oakland's largest lead since 37-33 4:03 into the second half. Monroe finished with seven second-half points. 

The Penguins took their first lead of the game, 31-30, just over two minutes into the second half after Hill-Mais picked up his fourth personal. Oakland came down the floor on the ensuing possession to retake the advantage thanks to a triple from freshman Blake Lampman - helper by Maddox Jr. Lampman went 3-of-6 from deep for nine points - he has knocked down three or more triples in seven games this season. 

Much of the second half was spent within a one-possession game, with no side pulling further away than six. 

Oakland's defense was the story off the tip, holding Youngstown State scoreless for 8:11 of action. The Golden Grizzlies knocked down three of their first four attempts from beyond the arc - two coming from the bigs in senior Brad Brechting and Hill-Mais. 

Coming out of the under-12 minute media timeout, the Penguins stormed back with a 16-4 run. Youngstown State's full court press combined with 4-of-5 shooting from range engineered the spurt. 

The last five meetings between Oakland and YSU have been decided by four points or less - the Golden Grizzlies are 2-3 over the stretch. No team in the series has won back-to-back meetings since Oakland did so in February 2017. 

The Golden Grizzlies wrap up the two-game road trip in Ohio with Cleveland State (7-10, 3-1 HL) on Saturday, January 11. Game time is set for 3 pm from the Wolstein Center. 

Notes

• Madison Monroe got the starting nod for the third time this season. Joining the frosh was Kevin Kangu, Brad Brechting, Xavier Hill-Mais and Tray Maddox Jr. It was the first game with the starting-five combination. 
• Despite struggling from beyond the arc this season, the Golden Grizzlies opened the game with three triples before the first media timeout. 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 987-consecutive games, which is the seventh-longest streak in the NCAA. 
• Oakland started the game by holding Youngstown State scoreless for 8:11 of game play - giving the Golden Grizzly offense the chance to build a 13-0 lead. 
• The Penguins stormed back midway through the first half, going on a 16-4 run in a 3:42 span. 
• Tray Maddox Jr. hit a triple with 55 seconds remaining in the opening half to extend his streak to 10-consecutive outings with at least one made three-pointer. Maddox Jr. led the Golden Grizzlies at the half with nine points.  
• Tray Maddox Jr. has recorded four-straight double-digit scoring efforts after tonight's 11. Maddox Jr. has nine double-figure games this season.  
• Xavier Hill-Mais picked up his fourth personal just over two minutes into the second half - he reentered the game at the 13:02 mark, subbing out just one more time before playing the remaining 4:44 without ever fouling out. 
• The Penguins took their first lead of the game, 31-30, just over two minutes into the second half. Oakland came down the floor on the ensuing possession to retake the advantage thanks to a triple from Lampman. 
• Madison Monroe finished with 10. Monroe had seven second-half points. In the past three games, he has two double-figure scoring efforts and is averaging 9.3 ppg over the stretch. 
• Xavier Hill-Mais finished with 15 points - marking his 13th-straight outing with double-digit points. Hill-Mais hit two triples in the effort. It was the first game since No. 7 Maryland on Nov. 16 that he knocked down multiple three-pointers.