ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team finishes its road trip with its first conference game of the season after a big program win over Xavier as it faces in-state rival Detroit Mercy Wednesday inside Calihan Hall, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
 
The Golden Grizzlies (4-3, 0-0 HL) take a three-game win streak into Detroit after it won its final two games of the Cayman Islands Classic, followed by a Power-Six win over Xavier yesterday (Nov. 27). In a 78-76 win, the Golden Grizzlies took down the Musketeers for the first time in school history and recorded its first Power-Six win since 2021 where it defeated Oklahoma State (W, 56-55; Nov. 12).
 
The Golden Grizzlies jumped out to a quick lead, something the team has done several times this season, and remained ahead until the 10:23 mark where Xavier took its first lead of the game. The lead didn't last long, however, as Trey Townsend went right back down the court and regained the lead. The Golden Grizzlies went and scored the following six points to go up seven, capped by a Townsend two-hand slam.
 
The Golden Grizzlies took its lead into the locker room but Xavier quickly put itself back up by one, but Oakland rattled off nine-straight to regain the lead. The Musketeers battled down the stretch and went on an 11-2 run in a five-minute span and took its largest lead of the night so far at three with 3:49 to go.
 
Clutch shots down the stretch put Oakland up with :25 seconds to go and eventually closed the game out after a last second heave from the Musketeers came up short.
 
Oakland was led by Townsend who recorded a season-high 28 points (11-of-18), good for a game-high as well, and set his career record in assists with seven. Townsend, who added six boards on the night, was lethal in crunch time and made seven of the Golden Grizzlies last 12 points to help seal the win. Jack Gohlke and Rocket Watts also contributed down the stretch as Gohlke drilled one of his four threes, and Watts contributed two to extend the lead late.
 
The Golden Grizzlies shot well from the field at a .518 clip (29-of-56) with six makes from deep. The Musketeers won the battle of the boards with 37 opposed to the Golden Grizzlies' 29 and tallied 22 second chance points, but the Golden Grizzlies dominated the paint with 38 points coming from it. Oakland was in control for nearly the entirety of the game and led for 34:24 of it, while Xavier only led for a total of 3:21.
 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
The Golden Grizzlies square off against Detroit Mercy for the 29th time in school history, dating back to its first meeting in 1985. The Titans took the first five games of the matchup, which spanned from 1985-2000, all on the road, but from there Oakland has gone 18-5. The Golden Grizzlies went on a tear from 2017-2021 where it won 10-straight games with six on the road. Jalen Moore led the Golden Grizzlies efforts last season with a game-high 37 points (11-of-15) with five boards.
 
The Golden Grizzlies are 8-2 in its last 10 and dropped its last meeting inside the O'rena last season (96-74). To date, the Golden Grizzlies average 77.89 points with Detroit Mercy having the slight edge with 78.86 points per game.
 
Detroit Mercy (0-6, 0-0 HL) is looking for its first win of the season, including exhibition play, as its last win came in the first round of the Horizon League tournament.
 
The Titans most notable loss came in Oxford, Miss., as Detroit Mercy were narrowly defeated by the Ole Miss Rebels, 70-69. The Titans led by one with :33 second to go, but two free throws from the Rebels as time was winding down sealed the game. Recently, the Titans fell against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in Illinois, 81-67. The Cougars built a 12-point lead headed into the locker room for enough cushion in the following half to take the game. Six Cougar's netted double-digit points while the Titans leading scorer on the season Jayden Stone led the team and the game with 23 points.
 
Stone is one of three Titans to average double-digit points per game as he paces the team with 21.7 per game (48-of-105 FG). The guard stays on the floor longest for Detroit Mercy for an average of 35.8 minutes per game and is second on the team off the glass with 5.8 boards per contest. Followed by Stone is Marcus Tankersley (13.3 PPG) and Edoardo Del Cadia (10.7) as Del Cadia leads the team with 38 off the glass.
 
The Titans get outscored by an average of 17.3 points per game and, on average, put up 63.5 points when the final buzzer sounds. Detroit Mercy struggles from range at a .289 clip and is 145-of-324 from the field for a 44.8% make rate. The Titans lose the battle of the glass with a -4.5 margin and commit 4.4 more turnovers than its opposition.
 
Tip-off from Calihan Hall is slated for 7:00 PM ET Wednesday, Nov. 29.
 
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