GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Golden Grizzlies dropped its first game of 2024 as the Phoenix got the better of Oakland, 69-59, tonight inside the Resch Center.
 
The Golden Grizzlies (12-9, 7-3 HL) saw two players in the double digits for points as Blake Lampman led the way with 15 points, with all 15 from range (5-of-10) as Chris Conway tallied 14 and was 7-of-10 (.700) from the field. DQ Cole led the team with his seven boards as two came on the offensive side.
 
The Phoenix (13-9, 8-3 HL) were led by Foster Wonders with his 19 points and went 5-of-6 (.833) from range, while Will Eames and Rich Byhre both added 14.
 
Trey Townsend got the scoring started for the Golden Grizzlies with a fadeaway jumper, but the Phoenix came down the floor and hit a three. After Isaiah Jones hit two from the charity stripe, Lampman added the first three for Oakland for a quick 7-3 lead. However, a two, followed by another from deep, put Green Bay back ahead by one.
 
The Golden Grizzlies regained the lead as  Conway extended it to three after he muscled his way down low and sank a turnaround shot. The teams went back-and-forth trading points as Oakland remained ahead for the majority, with one occasion where Green Bay tied it, past the halfway mark. It was a strong defensive effort from both sides as Green Bay managed to tie things once again at 20 apiece with a three with 7:06 left to play.
 
Oakland went on to take the next four points and put itself back ahead, courtesy of Cole and Conway, but the Phoenix came soaring back and took its second lead of the game at 25-24. Jack Gohlke made it 25-25 before Green Bay went on a fast break down to its end of the court. Townsend sped from halfcourt and chased down Rich Byhre and swatted one from behind to give Oakland the momentum it needed to regain the lead. The team didn't score on the ensuing play, but Osei Price eventually got the ball in his hands and knocked down a three for the lead.
 
Green Bay tacked on a two to cut its deficit to one as both Oakland's and Green Bay's final possession of the half fell short, as the Golden Grizzlies held on to a tight lead, 28-27, headed into the locker room.
 
Oakland held an edge from the field as it hit 10-of-25 (.400) from the field while Green Bay went 11-of-30 (.367) from the floor. Oakland tacked on two from downtown while 15 of Phoenix's 27 points came from range. Oakland led the battle of the glass after the first 20 with 19 rebounds, compared to Green Bay's 14, while Townsend and Conway were tied for the team lead in points with six.
 
Unlike the first half, it was the Phoenix who grabbed the first points of the half to take the lead. The following possession, Oakland utilized its size and grabbed two offensive boards to keep the ball on its side before Conway converted with a mid-range jumper. Green Bay started to force the three-ball as it attempted six in the first four minutes with no makes.
 
Green Bay made its first three of the half to give it a one-point lead, but Lampman came right back down and nailed one for himself to give Oakland another two-point lead. However, the Phoenix got it right back and answered with its second-straight three, followed by a third, for another slight lead.
 
The theme of the game, specifically the second half, was trading points and lead changes as Oakland accounted for the game's next five points, capped by another Lampman three, but Green Bay hit another from deep to make it 47-45 Green Bay with under 10:00 to go. Conway muscled his way in the paint for a jumper to even it up, but once again, Green Bay made its 10th three of the game to push ahead.
 
To keep with the theme, Rocket Watts took the ball for himself and drew a shooting foul on a fade away, while he drilled his shot, and converted the three-point play to tie it up at 50. Green Bay went on to score 11-straight points in the next 2:43 to put it ahead and make it a tall task for an Oakland comeback with 3:16 to play.
 
Lampman and Cole hit from range, with a Green Bay three-point play sandwiched in between, to make it 64-56 in favor of Green Bay with 2:10 to go. Oakland kept on fighting and chipped away at the lead with another Lampman three, but a Green Bay three with under a minute to go put the lead to great for a comeback, as Oakland fell to Green Bay, 69-59.
 
Both teams improved from the floor in the second half as Green Bay nearly shot at a .600 clip (16-of-27, .593) and tacked on seven from three in the final 20. Oakland shot 12-of-28 (.429) from the field to bump its game total to 22-of-53 (.415). The Phoenix outrebounded the Golden Grizzlies in the second half and brought its total to 32 compared to Oaklands 31.
 
The Golden Grizzlies stay in Wisconsin and head south to Milwaukee for a tune-up against the Panthers Saturday (Jan. 27), with tip-off set for 4:00 p.m. ET. All Oakland games this season will be live streamed through audio via The Bet1270 AM (WXYT-AM) & the Audacy App with Neal Ruhl on the call.