ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies took care of business in its third-straight league win as it defeated Green Bay, 79-73, today inside the OU Credit Union O'rena.
 
Trey Townsend once again led the Golden Grizzlies (9-8, 4-2 HL) with his third double-double in four games. Townsend tied his season high of 28 points, which was also a game high, as he brought down 11 boards. Fifteen of Blake Lampman's 19 points came from downtown (5-of-11 3FG) as Isaiah Jones made eight key free throws for his 12-point total.
 
The Phoenix (9-8, 4-2 HL) saw five players in the double figures for points as David Douglas Jr. led Green Bay, off the bench, with 15 points. Will Eames, who also came off the bench, saw 26 minutes of the floor and led the Phoenix with his eight rebounds.
 
Lampman got the scoring started and sank one from range on the Golden Grizzlies first possession. Green Bay tallied a two, but Lampman came right back down and drilled another from beyond the arc for an early four-point lead. Green Bay finally answered with a three of its own, but Oakland rallied and scored seven-straight, finished off by an and-one from Townsend.
 
The scoreboard read 16-10 in favor of the Golden Grizzlies with a tick over 10:00 to go before Townsend snuck behind the Green Bay defense and came down with an offensive board before he put on through. Green Bay rode its hot hand from three as its next six points came from deep but the Golden Grizzlies held strong and kept its lead for the next few minutes.
 
The Phoenix tied the game up for the first time at the 6:26 mark before it grabbed a two-point lead at 23-21 with 5:40 to play. Rocket Watts made his two from the charity stripe, followed by a fastbreak layup from Lampman, but the Phoenix continued its shooting from three and hit another to retake the lead down the stretch.
 
Tuburu Naivalurua retook the lead under the hoop as Townsend followed with another bucket and a foul to extend the slight lead. The Phoenix cut it down to a two-point game right before half as the Golden Grizzlies held on to its lead headed into the locker room, 30-28.
 
The Oakland defense held strong in the first 20 and held Green Bay to a field goal clip of .385 (10-of-26), while the Golden Grizzlies shot 11-of-23 from the floor (.478). The difference maker, which made the game close, were makes from range as Green Bay converted six while Oakland made a pair. Townsend was the only player on either end to finish the opening half with double-digit points with his 10, and also led the game with six boards.
 
The Golden Grizzlies went full steam ahead in the opening minutes of the second half, as it grew its lead to eight points at 40-32. Townsend muscled his way through defenders and drew another foul while his bucket dropped, followed by a three from Lampman. On Green Bay's ensuing possession, Chris Conway leaped to reject the Phoenix's' shot which turned into a fastbreak layup for Lampman.
 
The lead grew to double digits as Lampman went around the Phoenix and stole the ball before the Golden Grizzlies worked it around to Townsend under the hoop who laid it up. The Golden Grizzlies got a quick five points, capped by yet another three from Lampman, to extend its lead to 13. An and-one from the Phoenix side put it back to a 10-point game, but Lampman made another one from downtown to make it 54-41.
 
Green Bay had answers as it matched Lampman's shot from three with two of its own to cut it back to a single-digit lead for Oakland. A pair of Conway free throws and two from Watts put it back to double digits, but Green Bay converted on a four-point play to make it 60-54 in favor of Oakland.
 
The Phoenix cut it down to three, after its 12th three on the night, as it came crawling back into the game. Townsend made a pair of free throws, but a three on the other end of the court made it a two-point game with seven minutes to play. Green Bay took a one-point lead on its next possession with another three, and went up by three with a layup.
 
Oakland found its groove back after Townsend made six-straight points to regain a narrow lead, before the Phoenix grabbed two from the line before Townsend made one to match his season-high in points with 28. The Phoenix knotted things up at 69 with under three minutes to go as Jones made a pair of free throws, but another Phoenix three put the team ahead by one with 1:30 to go.
 
Jones made another pair of clutch free throws from the line as Green Bay missed its next shot to give the Golden Grizzlies the ball, up one, with under a minute to go. The Golden Grizzlies called a timeout and drew up a play for Conway to hook a shot in and gain a three-point lead. Jones came up big down the stretch and forced a turnover as the Phoenix resorted to fouls. Jones made his two and made it 77-72 with :18 seconds to go. Another Phoenix miss gave Watts the ball as he dazzled for a dunk to secure the win, 79-73.
 
The Phoenix improved from the floor in the second half and hit at a .469 clip (15-of-32) and matched the Golden Grizzlies who also went 15-of-32. Green Bay continued to make from three and added nine in the second half to make its total 15 (15-of-36), as seven players made at least one, with the Golden Grizzlies that had a total of five. Free throws were crucial in the victory as Oakland converted 22 from the charity stripe which included 16 in the second half.
 
The Golden Grizzlies continue its homestand Wednesday (Jan. 10) against Northern Kentucky, with tip-off set for 7:00 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.