ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Oakland Golden Grizzlies got the job done tonight against IU Indy, with a final score of 72-59, tonight inside the OU Credit Union O'Rena.

Leading the Golden Grizzlies (7-12, 4-4 HL) was Allen Mukeba, DQ Cole, and Buru Naivalurua. Mukeba brought in nine rebounds while scoring a game-high 20 points. Cole and Naivaluru were both incredibly efficient from the court, each scoring 14 points, while Mukeba and Naivalurua missed just one shot each (14-of-16 total). 

IU Indy (6-13, 2-6 HL) were led by Jarvis Walker who finished the night with 16 points with Sean Craig right behind with 13.

Oakland started the game off with high energy coming back from a win last Saturday against Northern Kentucky. DQ Cole put the Golden Grizzlies on the board first with a three-pointer as Mukeba followed it up with a two. The game remained tight, with neither team leading by more than three points, until Nassim Mashhour hit back-to-back three-pointers, putting Oakland up by seven with 11:30 remaining in the first half.  

IU Indy intensified their efforts, but Oakland responded with continued strong offensive to maintain their lead. Jack Hoth contributed to the score with a three, followed by a second dunk from Naivalurua. As a result of their effective offense, the Golden Grizzlies continued to dominate and expand their lead by 10 points with 7:47 remaining in the first half.

With the first half coming to a close, IU Indy worked hard to catch up; however, the Golden Grizzlies' offense proved unstoppable with a layup from Isaiah Jones and another dunk from Naivalurua as they continued to expand their lead and ended the first half with a score of 36-25.

After 20, Oakland held the edge off the glass with 16 rebounds, seven more than the Jaguars. From the floor, Oakland hit four shots from range and hit at an overall mark of .571 (16-of-28) from the floor, compared to IU Indy's pair of threes and .435 clip (10-of-23).

Oakland began the second half with high intensity. Mukeba started with a layup, followed by back-to-back three pointers from Cole. Mukeba also continued to dominate the court offensively, bringing in five points for the Golden Grizzlies with 11:43 remaining in the half. 

As the half progressed, IU Indy ramped up their offense; however, they were unable to score thanks to the Golden Grizzlies dominant defense. Holding a 14-point lead with under 10 minutes to go, Mukeba added his 16th point of the game with a strong layup, set up by an assist from Cole.

Despite IU Indys efforts, the Golden Grizzlies continued to maintain the lead, 59-38, with eight minutes remaining in the game. IU Indy stepped up their offense and made a brief comeback, but it was short lived thanks to the Golden Grizzlies unstoppable defense. 

Naivalurua clinched a layup and Cole hit a three-pointer, maintaining the lead for Oakland, 66-51. Isaiah Jones assisted Mukeba for a layup, securing the win for the Golden Grizzlies, 72-59.
At the end of the game, Oakland held the edge against the Jaguars with 30 rebounds, four more than IU Indy. From the floor, Oakland hit eight shots from range and hit at an overall mark of .490 (25-of-51) from the floor, compared to IU Indy's six from beyond the arc and a .426 clip (20-of-47) from the floor.

Oakland looks to continue its win streak as they head to Detroit to play Detroit Mercy Saturday (Jan. 18), with tip-off from Calihan Hall slated for 1:00 p.m. ET live on ESPN+. All Oakland games this season will be live streamed through audio via 97.1HD-3, The Bet1270 AM (WXYT-AM) & the Audacy App with Neal Ruhl on the call.