ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland men's basketball program fell to the Cleveland State Vikings, 80-78, on Senior Day inside the Athletics Center O'rena.
Five scored in double figures for the Golden Grizzlies (8-15, 8-8 HL) in the Horizon League loss. Daniel Oladapo led the way with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting and added eight rebounds, two steals, and one block. Zion Young paced the OU guards with 18 points on four 3-pointers, while Micah Parrish finished with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting along with seven rebounds and three steals. Jalen Moore put together an all-around game with 12 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Trey Townsend compiled 12 points and five rebounds to round out Golden Grizzlies in double figures.
After falling behind 21-14, Oakland went on a 6-0 run with 11:29 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Oladapo, to narrow its deficit to 21-20. CSU (14-5, 14-2 HL) answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Golden Grizzlies down 49-44 entering halftime.
The Golden Grizzlies shot an impressive 58 percent (18-for-31) in the first period but went 5-of-10 from the free throw line and lost the rebounding margin, 21-13. CSU garnered eight offensive rebounds contributing to 40 field goal attempts, nine more than Oakland in the half.
The Vikings kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 57-50 advantage before Oakland went on a 7-0 run to even the score at 57-all with 11:26 to go in the contest. CSU got back in front 76-70 with 3:16 remaining in the period. However, the Golden Grizzlies inched their way back within two points, 80-78 with just 14 seconds left in the game.
OU could not get a shot off as they turned the ball over in its final possession of the game to clinch the victory for the visitors.
Oakland will begin a four-game road swing next weekend at Robert Morris (Feb. 12-13). Both games will air on ESPN3.
Other Notes
The Golden Grizzlies finished with their best field goal percentage (54%) of the season... OU lost for the second time this season when shooting above 50% from the field... Oakland shot 30% (6-of-20) from 3-point territory... OU shot its worst percentage from the free throw line (62%) since Wright State (1/1)... Oladapo averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the CSU series... Oladapo scored in double figures for the fourth-straight game... Young averaged 16.0 points per game in the CSU series... Young made three or more 3-pointers for the seventh time this season... Moore scored in double figures for the 13th-straight game... Parrish totaled three or more steals for the fourth time in his last five games and the sixth time this season... Parrish scored in double figures while shooting above 50% from the field for the fourth-straight game... Townsend is averaging 8.0 rebounds in his last four games.
#GrizzVision with Greg Kampe
