Men's Basketball 1/27/2021 3:00:00 PM

OAKLAND SET FOR WEEKEND SERIES AT PURDUE FORT WAYNE

ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland men's basketball team continues Horizon League play January 29-30 at Purdue Fort Wayne for games at 7:30 p.m. (Friday) and 7 p.m. (Saturday). Fans can listen to Neal Ruhl for both games on 106.7 WLLZ HD-2 and the iHeart Radio App. The weekend series will stream on ESPN3 with John Nolan (play-by-play) and Michael Kibiloski (analyst) on call.

This weekend will mark the first in-conference series between Oakland and Purdue Fort Wayne since 2013, as the Mastodons enter their inaugural season in the Horizon League. Both programs were members of the Summit League from 2007-13, where 15 of their total 23 matchups occurred.

OU leads the overall series 17-6 and holds a road record of 6-3 against the 'Dons. The Golden Grizzlies won 10-straight games over Purdue Fort Wayne from 2009-12 but lost all three meetings the following season.

Oakland last faced the 'Dons in its 2017-18 home opener, where the Golden Grizzlies finished on top, 85-71. Current Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn scored 36 points, shooting 11 of 21 from the field, including 5-for-11 from beyond the arc while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists in the victory.

Purdue Fort Wayne sits 6-7 overall and 5-7 in the HL standings. Seven of their eight scheduled non-conference games were canceled due to COVID-19. Junior guard Jarred Godfrey is averaging 17.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game to lead the 'Dons. Senior transfer Jalon Pipkins has added 12.5 points per game in 13 starts.

OU has won six of its last 10 games after an 0-9 start to the season. The Golden Grizzlies non-conference schedule featured four-straight Power-5 schools in Michigan (11/29), Purdue (12/1), Oklahoma State (12/5), and Michigan State (12/13) and four schools top-50 in the current NCAA NET rankings. Eight of Oakland's 19 games have been against teams top-100 in the NET rankings.

The Golden Grizzlies are in fifth place at 6-6 in the conference standings with eight games remaining. Five of their 12 HL matchups have been decided by five or fewer points, as Oakland holds a 3-2 record in those games. OU is coming off a series split versus Detroit Mercy last weekend. Jalen Moore posted a triple-double and averaged 20.5 points, 12.5 assists, and 6.5 rebounds in the series.

Cleveland State is atop in the HL standings at 10-2 while Wright State is close behind at 9-3. Oakland will host CSU on Feb. 5-6 for its final home series of the season. The Golden Grizzlies are one of only six schools in the League to play 12 conference games. The remaining six schools have logged between 7-to-10 games.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Overall: Oakland leads 17-6
• At Home: 8-2
• At Purdue Fort Wayne: 6-3
• At Neutral: 3-1
• Current Streak: Oakland, 1
• Last Meeting: W, 85-71 (at the O'rena, 11/10/17)
• Series Note: Oakland has lost three out of the last four meetings

PLAYER NOTES

TAKING OVER THE #HLMBB
Moore has become a top-tier player in the Horizon League since joining the Golden Grizzlies. He is averaging close to a double-double with 20.2 points (third in HL), 9.8 assists (first in HL), and 1.8 steals (fifth in HL) through 12 conference games. Moore's play has transcended to a new level in his last seven games, averaging 23.1 points, 11.3 assists, and 2.1 steals while shooting 46% (50-for-109) from the floor, 43% (17-for-40) from 3-point range, and 88% (45-for-51) at the charity stripe.

HISTORY MADE
Junior guards Zion Young and Moore made history in Oakland's series opener versus Detroit Mercy (1/22) last weekend. Young scored 28 points on 9-of-9 shooting from 3-point territory in just 22 minutes. The shooting mark was the most-consecutive 3-point makes without a miss in school history. Myke Thom previously broke the record in 1998 with seven-consecutive makes. Moore went off for 18 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds for OU's first triple-double since Kay Felder (3/29/16). He achieved the triple-double on a layup with over 14 minutes remaining in the second half.

DON'T LET RASHAD GET HOT
Rashad Williams has proven to be one of Oakland's hottest shooters this season. The second-year starter put up 32 points on a career-best 10 triples at Oklahoma State (12/5) and a season-high 36 points on eight 3-point makes at Michigan State (12/13). He added 20-point performances against UIC (12/20), Green Bay (1/9), and Detroit Mercy (1/23). The junior guard is averaging 16.0 points per game on 40% shooting (40-of-99) in his last seven games. He has knocked down 26 3-pointers in the span and at least one in all seven games. On the season, Williams ranks first in the country with 60 3-point makes.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The Golden Grizzlies return one lone senior to this year's squad in Kevin Kangu. Kangu appeared in all 33 games last season, making 18 starts, leading Oakland in assists (114), and averaging 5.1 points per game. The senior has logged the second-most minutes off the bench for OU this season and has recorded one or more steal in 12 out of 19 games played.

BREAKOUT YEAR FOR THE BIG MAN
Daniel Oladapo has scored in double-figures in 11 games this season and six times in his last seven games. His numbers at the free-throw line have drastically improved, as he is shooting 70% (26-of-37) in his previous seven games compared to 40% (12-of-30) in his first 12 games. The Bladensburg, Md. native holds five double-doubles on the season thanks to his improved play on offense, which is 24th-most in the NCAA.

TEAM NOTES

TAKING WHAT'S OURS
Oakland ranks first in the Horizon League with 8.6 steals per game (29th nationally) and 164 total steals (second nationally). The Grizzlies have tallied 10-plus steals in six games and at least five in 18-of-19 games.

Leaders in total steals:
Moore: 39 steals — eighth in the country — first in the HL
Micah Parrish: 28 steals — 42nd in the country — second in the HL
Trey Townsend: 27 steals — 50th in the country — third in the HL

PASSING THE ROCK
Oakland has averaged a league-best 16.8 assists per game through 12 Horizon League matchups. The Golden Grizzlies have also taken care of the ball, as they rank first among HL teams with a 1.35 assist-to-turnover ratio. OU has averaged 21 assists in its last four games, including a season-high 25-assist output against Youngstown State (1/15).

FREE POINTS
As a team, the Golden Grizzlies rank ninth nationally in free throw attempts (367) and free throw makes (258). However, the Golden Grizzlies shot 63% (132-of-210) at the free-throw line in their first ten games, including just two games above 70%. Oakland has turned it around by shooting 80% (126-of-157) at the charity stripe in its last nine games. OU has made over 80% of its free throws six times in the nine-game span and went a perfect 14-of-14 at the line versus Wright State (1/2).

EXPERIENCE GROWING
Only four players (Kangu, Blake Lampman, Emmanuel Newsome, Oladapo) on Oakland's 13-man roster have a full season of playing experience with the Golden Grizzlies. The remaining nine players are either freshman or transfers. Second-year transfer Rashad Williams missed the first half of the 2019-20 season before being named eligible in mid-January 2020. The nine Golden Grizzly newcomers have accounted for 82% of offense despite their inexperience in head coach Greg Kampe's offense.

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