ROCEHSTER, Mich. – Ohio Christian University out of the NAIA will take the court against Oakland University Men's Basketball on Friday, January 7 for a 7:00 p.m. tip as the "Voice of the Golden Grizzlies'', Neal Ruhl, on the call on ESPN3/+ as well as TheBet 1270AM (WXYT-AM) and the Audacy App.

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INSIDE THE SERIES
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Overall: First Meeting
At Home: 0-0
On the Road: 0-0
Current Streak: None
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Series Note: First-ever meeting against the 2-11 NAIA team

Ohio Christian University hails from Circleville, Ohio coming into the O'rena with a 2-11 record, 1-4 in River States Conference play, a conglomerate of NAIA schools composed mostly in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. The Trailblazers are riding a 0-3 streak with losses to Indiana University Kokomo, Shawnee State University (Ohio), and NCAA Division II Findlay University of Ohio. 

As a team, Jimmy Salamone is the Trailblazers' leader in points with 13.9 a game while Justin Barksdale is the team's leader in rebounds with 7.2 a game. Collectively, the NAIA squad scores 70.6 points a game while allowing its opponents to put up 80.6 a game for a -10 margin. 

The Trailblazers are led by Casey Coons who is in his fourth season at the helm at OCU with a combined record of 27-68 (.284). The Taylor University (Ind.) alum is second in all-time scoring for the Trojans. 

Oakland is now 4-0 in Horizon League play after taking down both Youngstown State University and Robert Morris University last weekend as the team looks toward hosting University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sunday. 

Micah Parrish returns to the team with 9.4 points per game through his 11 games played with an average of 6.7 rebounds per match with a total of 13 assists to his name. The freshman from Detroit is also fourth on the team in steals with 17. 

Moore is tied for first in the nation in assists per game with 7.9 tallying 103 total assists on the year. Moore also sits tied for 16th in total double doubles with six through 13 games. 

The Golden Grizzlies sit 72nd in the NCAA NET Rankings as the only Horizon League team in the top 100. 

Oakland was slated 15th in the January 3rd edition of Mid-Major Top 25 Poll as voted on by mid-major tier coaches. The Golden Grizzlies rose by one spot from 16th from the last poll.

According to kenpom.com, the Golden Grizzlies have played the 69th toughest schedule in the country based on strength of schedule rating with the 9th toughest out of conference strength of schedule rating.

Oakland will welcome University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at 4:00 p.m. as Horizon League play continues on Sunday, January 9. 

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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-12th (7)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - 12th (7.38)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game - 37th (3.08)
Rebounds Per Game - 9th (10.5)
Total Points - Tied-13tht (277)
Minutes Per Game - 20th (36.0)

UNDEFEATED IN HORIZON LEAGUE PLAY
With a 87-72 win over Youngstown State University last Saturday, Oakland is now 4-0 in Horizon League play, tied at the top with Cleveland State University also at 4-0. Only one other team is undefeated in HL play as University of Detroit-Mercy sits 2-0. 

CAREER BEST FROM RANGE
On Saturday, Blake Lampman tied his career high in points with 18 which he's done three times now in his career. The Haslett native also went 6 of 10 from three point range, setting the most three-pointers he's made in his career while tying his most attempts in a game. Lampman leads the team in three-point shooting going 41.1% (23-56). 

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. 

HORIZON LEAGUE LEADERS
Cain is second in scoring in the Horizon League with 21.31 points per game while holding onto the number one spot in rebounding with 10.46 per game. Moore, naturally, is first in assists through 13 games played with 103 total assists, 37 more than second place. Trey Townsend is currently tied for second in blocked shots with 19 total (1.46 per game).

MID-MAJOR SUCCESS
Oakland was slated 15th in the January 3rd edition of Mid-Major Top 25 Poll as voted on by mid-major tier coaches. The Golden Grizzlies rose by one spot from 16th from the last poll.

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. 

AMONG THE GREATS
Jalen Moore sits third in the nation when it comes to helping out his teammates. The junior is third in the country through 12 games tallying 90 assists in total for an average of 7.5 per game. 

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS
As a team, OU shoots 30th in the country in free throws going 177-230 (76.96%) as the fourth Horizon League team in the poll behind Wright State University, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Detroit Mercy. 

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LAST FOUR

(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. 

(vs) Robert Morris, December 30, W 79-61
Cain reached his second-straight game with 20+ points on Thursday night as Horizon League play resumed as the grad student tallied 22 points and 14 rebounds. Moore eclipsed the double digit mark in assists again with 10 as he continues to climb the national assists leaderboard. As a team, Oakland put up 20 assists for a season-high. 

(vs) Michigan State, December 21, L 90-78
Moore notched a double double in the teams loss before the holiday break to Michigan State at Little Caesars Arena with 25 points and 11 assists. Cain continues to prove himself as one of the best in the country with 20 points and six rebounds to his credit, shooting 50% from the field in the process.

(at) Bowling Green, December 7, L 73-72
The Golden Grizzlies had their five game winning streak snapped by the Falcons as Cain once again tallied 21 points to lead the team in the loss as Moore was just behind with 19 and six steals. The dooming stat line for OU were the season-high 22 turnovers that led to 26 points for BGSU. 

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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.