ROCHESTER, Mich. – One final road trip of the weekend awaits Oakland University Men's Basketball as the team is in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum for a showdown with Purdue University-Fort Wayne in a 1:00 p.m. tip in Horizon League play.
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INSIDE THE SERIES
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Overall: Oakland, 14-5
At Home: 7-2
On the Road: 6-3
Current Streak: Oakland, 3
Last Meeting: W, 82-75 (1/30/21)
Series Note: Sneaky good PFW hosts an enthralling Horizon League leader in OU
The Mastodons of PFW are coming off a 62-60 win over Horizon League rival University of Detroit Mercy Thursday to improve their overall record to 8-7, 4-3 HL. PFW is riding a three game winning streak with wins over the Titans, Youngstown State University, and Robert Morris University coming recently.
Jarred Gofrey is the team's leading scorer with 16.5 per game as Jalon Pipkens sits just behind with 13.5. Ra Kpedi holds an average of 6.7 rebounds per game to lead the Mastodons while Gofrey is also the team's leader in assists with 4.3 a game.
Jon Coffman is in his eighth season at the helm of PFW as the Mastodons are in their second full season as Horizon League members as Coffman has held the most program victories since the school's Division I era began in 2001.
Jamal Cain continues to be the Golden Grizzlies leading scorer with 19.9 per game as he doubles as the team's leading rebounder with 9.7 a contest. Cain is in multiple categories as one of the top players in the nation notably with rebounding as the grad transfer is 16th in the nation in rebounds per game, 15th in defensive rebounds per game.
Jalen Moore is still the NCAA's leader in assists with 125 total through 15 games for an average of 8.3 a game. Moore did just that on Thursday night with eight assists to compliment his 14 points and six rebounds.
Trey Townsend eclipsed the 20 point margin in the win over the Vikings as the Oxford native put up six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. Micah Parrish and Blake Lampman each hit double digit points Thursday with 11 and 12, respectively.
The team is averaging 75.5 points per game and is 10-1 when it reaches that mark. The Golden Grizzlies are shooting 45.2% (437-967) from the field while also going 77.5% (217-280) from the free throw line. Lampman leads in three point shooting with 40.7% (33-81) as the team holds an overall percentage of 29.4% (116-394).
OU is 20th in the country in free throw shooting as a team as the third Horizon League team in the top 20. After playing the full 40 minutes against CSU, Townsend is 7th nationally in minutes per game behind Moore who's 4th with 37.5 per game.
Townsend was the fourth-leading scorer Thursday night in the Horizon League with 20 while Moore led the conference, naturally, in assists. At 6-0, Oakland has stolen first-place atop the Horizon League standings above Cleveland State (10-4, 6-1 HL) and Wright State University (9-7, 6-1 HL).
The Golden Grizzlies sit 69th (previously 68th) in the NCAA NET Rankings as the only Horizon League team in the top 100, 82 spots ahead of the next closest conference member, Cleveland State in 151st.
In the NCAA RPI, Oakland jumped four spots to 39th following Thursday's win over CSU as the highest ranked Horizon League team.
Oakland was slated 15th in the January 10rd edition of Mid-Major Top 25 Poll as voted on by mid-major tier coaches. The Golden Grizzlies were 15th in the last poll on January 3.
According to kenpom.com, the Golden Grizzlies have played the 91st toughest schedule in the country based on strength of schedule rating with the 8th toughest out of conference strength of schedule rating. Oakland is now 99th overall in the Kenpom rankings after the victor over Cleveland State.
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NOTES
NATIONAL TALENT
Once again, Jamal Cain sees himself in the mix of national attention with the grad student from Pontiac in more than one category.
Category - Place (Total/Average)
Double Doubles - Tied-15th (7)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - 15th (7.07)
Rebounds Per Game - 16th (9.9)
Total Points - Tied-21st (299)
THE BEST IN THE NATION
Moore is now first in the entire NCAA in assists per game with 8.5 a game and 125 assists total. Moore was previously tied with Yuri Collins of Saint Louis who is now in second place.
UNDEFEATED IN HORIZON LEAGUE PLAY
In what could arguably be the Horizon League game of the year, Oakland took down Cleveland State on the road in the Wolstein Center 70-65 to remain undefeated (6-0) in Horizon League play.
LAMPMAN FOR THREE
Blake Lampman has hit 33 of 81 attempts from range this season for a 40.7% shooting percentage from deep. Lampman drained a career high six three-pointers in Oakland's win over Youngstown State on ten attempts.
PARRISH PARTY
Micah Parris returned to the hardwood after 10 days against Ohio Christian and Milwaukee finishing the 2-0 weekend with 17 and 19 point performances shooting 12-21 (57.1%) from the field, 4-11 (36.7%) from three-point land, and a stellar four assists and three steals performance against the Trailblazers.
PRICE'S FIRST CAREER STARTS
Osei Price is coming off his first two career starts contributing 17 points in the two wins with 13 total rebounds and eight assists. Against Ohio Christian, Price made his third start with five points, four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
A SPECIAL FRIDAY NIGHT
Chris Conway's previous career high in points was two points ahead of OU's game with Ohio Christian. The Naperville, Illinois native earned his first career double double with 22 points and ten rebounds as Trey Townsend got his second double double of the year with 26 points (a career high) and 10 rebounds as well. Emmanuel Newsome made his first start of the season Friday as well tallying eight points, five rebounds, and a steal.
MID-MAJOR SUCCESS
Oakland was slated 15th in the January 10rd edition of Mid-Major Top 25 Poll as voted on by mid-major tier coaches. The Golden Grizzlies were 15th in the last poll on January 3.
BATTLE IN LITTLE CAESARS ARENA
Moore tallied a double-double in the team's 90-78 loss to Michigan State University with 25 points and 11 assists to his name as Cain notched his second straight contest with 20 or more points, his sixth overall of the season. The squad shot 43.9% (25-57) from the field as the team faces its first, and albeit short, losing streak of the season at two games.
CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS
As a team, OU shoots 20th in the country in free throws going 204-264 (77.27%) as the third Horizon League team in the poll behind Purdue Fort Wayne and Detroit Mercy.
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LAST FOUR
(at) Cleveland State, January 13, W 70-65
A 65-60 victory over the Vikings secured Oakland's sixth-straight Horizon League win to claim the top of the conference mantle. Townsend scored 20 points for the fourth time this season as Moore continued to build on his assist legacy with eight. Five total Golden Grizzlies scored in double figures.
(vs) Milwaukee, January 10, W 86-65
Moore finishes his seventh double double performance with 15 points and 14 assists against Horizon League foe Milwaukee as Parrish scored a team-high 19 points, tying a career best, while four other Golden Grizzlies finished in double digit scoring with Cain, Townsend, and Lampman.
(vs) Ohio Christian, January 7, W 108-40
Oakland set a best in points scored in the non-conference match with 108 as the team held its opponent to under 50 points for the second time this season. Townsend and Conway secured double doubles with 26 and 22 points, respectively, while each player nabbed 10 boards a piece.
(vs) Youngstown State, January 1, W 87-72
Moore and Cain each locked double doubles in the team's fourth Horizon League win of the season, their sixth and seventh, respectively. This was the game in which Moore established himself as nation's leader in assists adding 13 to his resume. Lampman also lit up 6-10 from three point land.
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AMONG THE GREATS
Jalen Moore sits first in the nation when it comes to helping out his teammates. The junior is third in the country through 15 games tallying 125 assists in total for an average of 8.3 per game.
BATTLE IN LITTLE CAESARS ARENA
Moore tallied a double-double in the team's 90-78 loss to Michigan State University with 25 points and 11 assists to his name as Cain notched his second straight contest with 20 or more points, his sixth overall of the season. The squad shot 43.9% (25-57) from the field as the team faces its first, and albeit short, losing streak of the season at two games.
FUN IN THE SUN
Oakland secured the Gulf Coast Showcase title with wins over Vermont, Rice, and Delaware. All three of OU's victories were decided by eight points or less. The tournament took place at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla. and featured eight mid-major teams. The winner of the MTE has advanced to postseason play in six of its eight years of existence.
UPSET IN STILLWATER
The Golden Grizzlies earned a 56-55 victory at Oklahoma State in their second game of the season. Moore scored the final seven points for OU in the win. The upset was Oakland's 12th career win over a Power 5 program.
GOOD TO BE HOME
Oakland rolled past Toledo, 80-59, in its home opener at the Athletics Center O'rena. OU outscored Toledo 49-27 in the second half, which snapped a four-game losing skid to the Rockets. Cain exploded for 29 points, 17 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks, while sophomore guard Blake Lampman had a career night, scoring 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting from outside the arc. Moore had a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists.
GET YOUR TICKETS
Season tickets can be purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office by calling (248) 370-4000 or emailing outickets@oakland.edu. Single-game tickets and mini-plans are also available for the 2021-22 basketball season. Click here for more information.
NEW HOME FOR OAKLAND BASKETBALL
Oakland recently announced a partnership with Audacy that made 97.1 The Ticket HD3 and The Bet 1270AM (WXYT-AM) the official radio providers for the department. With this new partnership, 97.1 The Ticket HD3 and The Bet 1270AM (WXTY-AM) will provide coverage for all Oakland men's basketball games as well as the Greg Kampe Radio Show.
BACK FOR ANOTHER RUN
Kampe enters his 38th season at the helm of the Oakland men's basketball program. He is the third-longest tenured active coach in Division I, only behind Jim Boeheim (Syracuse, 45 seasons) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke, 41 seasons). Kampe's 650 career wins rank 12th among active Division I coaches.
PUTTING OAKLAND ON THE MAP
Kampe joined Oakland in 1984 after six seasons as an assistant coach at Toledo (1978-1984). Formerly known as the Pioneers, OU had only six winning seasons in 16 years of competition before his arrival.
