ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team returns home for the first time in nearly three weeks and continues league play with a tune-up against Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday inside the OU Credit Union O'rena, with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m. ET.
 
Pack the O'rena this Saturday for Pioneer Day, presented by Oakland University's Alumni Association, to help the Golden Grizzlies stay perfect in the Horizon League. Free pizza will be served to all students who attend the game and all students will have the chance to enter to win a TV.
 
The Golden Grizzlies (5-3, 1-0 HL) took down in-state rival Detroit Mercy Wednesday (Nov. 29) just two days after it beat Power-Six school Xavier on the road. With its 65-50 win against the Titans, the Golden Grizzlies wrapped up its five-game road trip, which included three games at the Cayman Islands Classic, 4-1 and are currently on a four-game win streak. In its streak, Oakland has outscored its opponents by an average of 73.8-66.5.
 
Oakland opened up the game with some quick points, but the Titans rallied and put the Golden Grizzlies in a six-point hole. As time ticked down in the opening half, both teams went back-and-forth as Jack Gohlke drilled a three from range to give Oakland a two-point lead with 5:00 to go, but the Titans put up a fight and put Oakland down three with two-straight makes.  The Golden Grizzlies came roaring back for a one-point lead with a minute left capped off by a Chris Conway jumper as it held onto its lead and headed into the locker room up, 28-27.
 
The Golden Grizzlies didn't look back after the half and started to pull away with a 15-point lead with 8:20 to go. The Titans offense struggled significantly in the final frame as Oakland held Detroit Mercy to single-digit points for 16:30 of the half. Once the home team reached 10+ points in the half, it was too late as the Golden Grizzlies built up a lead to take the Metro Series on the road, 65-50.
 
In its victory, the Golden Grizzlies were led by Conway who led the Golden Grizzlies charge with 16 points and Tuburu Naivalurua right behind with 11. Naivalurua, who tied his career-high in points, came off the bench and shot 5-of-6 (.833) from the field. Gohlke led the way with his eight boards and drained three from range in the win.
 
The Golden Grizzlies, who went 10-of-31 (.323) from the floor improved significantly from the field in the final 20 and went 14-of-26 (.538) with four from range. Oakland led off the glass with seven more rebounds than the Titans which included 13 that came on the offensive end. Oakland utilized its bench throughout and tallied 19 of its points from it. As a whole, the Golden Grizzlies upped its shooting percentage at a .421 clip while the Titans stayed under 40.0% with a mark of .364.
Trey Townsend continues his season as the leading scorer (15.6 PPG), rebounder (8.0 RPG) and most assists (29) on the team. In the points category, Gohlke is right behind with 12.9 points per game as the graduate student ranks second in the nation in three-point field goals made with 31, and first in the NCAA in attempts with 92. With those two, Oakland has three other players that average double-digit points in Conway (11.5), Blake Lampman (11.0) and Rocket Watts (10.0).
 
The Golden Grizzlies look to gain an edge in the Horizon League standings as Purdue Fort Wayne is the only team with a better overall winning percentage than Oakland.
 
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
The Golden Grizzlies hold a 15-8 record over the Mastodons over a 23-game span which started in 2002. The Mastodons got the best of the Golden Grizzlies at home in its first matchup (Jan. 28, 2002), 77-71, but the Golden Grizzlies came back and won 11 of the next 13 which included a nine-game win streak.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne has taken the last three matchups as Oakland seeks its first win since the 2021-22 season. To date, the Golden Grizzlies average 80.6 points per game when it squares off against the Mastodons and hold a 7-4 record inside the OU Credit Union O'rena.
 
Townsend and Watts, who are expected to start Saturday's game, were in the starting five in its 82-73 loss last year at home. Townsend finished 6-of-10 (.600) from the floor and finished with a double-double with 14 off the glass, while Watts tallied four points and five rebounds.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne (7-1, 1-0 HL) opened up league play Wednesday (Nov. 29) with a win at home against Green Bay to improve its record. The Mastodons sole loss came from the hands of San Francisco as the team fell, 76-60, but bounced back with a win against Wittenberg (DIII), 95-64. The Mastodons also took down Division II Andrews University early in the year decisively, 130-34.
 
In its conference home opener, the Mastodons squeaked by Green Bay, 75-71, and used its slight lead at half to take it to victory. Four Mastodons hit the double-digit mark in points, with forward Maximus Nelson who notched 17 off the bench and Jalen Jackson who led the team with 19.
 
Junior Rasheed Bello, a transfer student from UW-Parkside, leads the team in points per game (15.1) and shoots 45.0% from the floor. Jackson sits right behind with 14.0 points per game and shoots best among starters at a .514 clip from the field.
 
The Mastodons have seen at least one player each week on the Horizon League weekly awards as Corey Hadnot II (8.3 PPG) has been named Freshman of the Week all three weeks, while Bello earned Player of the Week (Nov. 13), followed by Quinton Morton-Robertson (13.1 PPG) the following (Nov. 20).
 
As a team, the Mastodons beat its opposition by a score of 20.9 with its 87.3 points per game. Purdue Fort Wayne leads in most statistical categories and shoot at a .496 clip from the floor with 75 balls from range. The Mastodons, however, lack in the rebound category and led up 2.8 more boards to its opponents.
 
Tip-off from the OU Credit Union O'rena is slated for 3:00 PM ET Saturday, Dec. 2.
 
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