ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team heads to the Pacific to open up the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic against Loyola Chicago Sunday, with tip-off set for 5:00 p.m. ET.

The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, which takes place inside SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a bracket-style tournament consisting of eight teams. Those teams include: Oakland, Loyola Chicago, Oregon State, Charleston, Nebraska, Murray State, Charlotte and Hawai'i. The tournament will take place Dec. 22-25 and all Oakland games will be streamed live on ESPN2 or ESPNU along with all Oakland games live streamed through audio via 91.1HD-3, The Bet1270 AM (WXYT-AM) and the Audacy App with Neal Ruhl on the call.  

The Golden Grizzlies (3-7, 1-2 HL) look to end its three-game skid as it heads to Hawaii, as it fell this past week against nationally-ranked Michigan State, followed by a road loss against Cleveland State. In its game against the Spartans, Oakland trailed by just one point at halftime, 31-30, with DQ Cole leading the team with 17 points and eight rebounds, followed closely by Malcolm Christie's 15 points. Michigan State's Jaxon Kohler recorded a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds), while Xavier Booker led the Spartans with 18 points off the bench.

The Golden Grizzlies took a brief lead in the first half, thanks to Cole's sharp three-point shooting and Allen Mukeba's contributions in the paint. However, Michigan State's defense and balanced scoring proved overwhelming in the second half. A 7-0 Spartan run early in the half extended their lead to double digits, which they maintained for the remainder of the game.

Following the loss, the team closed out 2024 Horizon League play against Cleveland State. The Golden Grizzlies fell, 92-75 to the Cleveland State despite a strong effort, including 22 points from Cole and a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) from Allen Mukeba, Oakland couldn't overcome a first-half deficit.

Tevin Smith led Cleveland State with a game-high 37 points and six rebounds. Oakland showed promise early, taking a 21-17 lead behind three-pointers from Malcolm Christie and Jaylen Jones. However, a late first-half surge from the Vikings resulted in a 44-35 halftime lead.

In the second half, Cleveland State's depth and efficiency wore down Oakland, as the Vikings capitalized on turnovers and extended their lead with a 14-3 run. Despite improved shooting from Oakland (.500 in the second half), Cleveland State maintained control, finishing with one more rebound (37) than the Golden Grizzlies (36). Christie added 14 points off the bench, but Oakland ultimately fell to 3-7 overall and 1-2 in league play.

As a team, Oakland scores 62.7 points per game while giving up 70.2 points per game, hitting at a .408 clip from the floor with 7.1 threes made per game. A trio of Golden Grizzlies average double-digit points, as Cole leads the way with 12.8 points per game, while Buru Naivalurua leads off the glass with 7.3 boards per game.

DATE: Dec. 22
OPPONENT: Loyola Chicago
LOCATION: SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center - Honolulu, Hawaii
TIME: 5:00 p.m. ET
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM: ESPN2
LIVE AUDIO
TICKETS
GAME NOTES

The Ramblers (9-1, 0-0 A10) started the season on an eight-game win streak before it dropped its first game of the season against San Francisco. Loyola followed it up with a win against Canisius, 72-60, before heading out to Hawaii for the tournament. The Golden Grizzlies are the second Horizon League team the Ramblers will have faced this season, as it beat Detroit Mercy, 87-65, in its second game of the season. The only common opponent between the two teams is Eastern Michigan as the Ramblers took care of the Eagles, 76-54. Furthermore, all but two of the Ramblers games have been played at home, with one win on the road at Princeton, followed by a loss on a neutral site against San Francisco, 76-66.

This marks the third meeting between the Ramblers and the Golden Grizzlies, as both matchups came more than 20 years ago. The teams have never met on a neutral court, as each team has won on its home court. Oakland opened the series in 1998 with a win, 81-80, as the teams met the next season in Chicago as the Ramblers evened the series after a 69-60 win.

Just like the Golden Grizzlies, the Ramblers have a trio of players in the double-digits for scoring as Des Watson leads the team with 12.6 points per game. Francis Nwaokorie narrowly holds the team lead off the glass with 5.9, as a pair of Ramblers are right behind him. Miles Rubin is the only Rambler who has started in all 10 contests this season, as he shoots at a .604 clip from the floor for 7.6 points per game.

The Ramblers outscore its opponents by an average of 15.2 points per game, as it tallies, on average, 79.7 points. The team hits at a .472 mark from the floor, with a .360 clip from beyond the arc, with 8.7 threes per game. Off the glass, Loyola comes down with 38.3 rebounds per game compared to its opponents 32.5.

Tip-off from SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center is slated for 5:00 p.m. ET, or 20 minutes after the conclusion of Oregon State vs. Charleston, which tips-off beforehand at 3:00 p.m. ET.

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