MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A late push from the Golden Grizzlies fell short as the team lost for the first time since Jan. 9 this afternoon to the Colonials, 73-71, inside the UMPC Events Center.

The Golden Grizzlies (9-13, 6-5 HL) were led by Buru Naivalurua who notched a career-high 23 points and led the team with eight boards, while freshman Nassim Mashhour hit four threes for a career-high 14 points.

The Colonials (15-7, 7-4 HL) saw four players tally double-digit points as Amarion Dickerson led the team with 17 points with Alvaro Folgueiras recording a double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds).

The Colonials came out strong as it scored the first nine points of the game before a DQ Cole two put an end to the run. Oakland closed the lead to three as it scored six-straight, but Robert Morris tallied its 11th point to put the Golden Grizzlies down, 11-6, with 14:42 to play. The early lead didn't get to Oakland though, as Jayson Woodrich drained a three, followed by a Jaylen Jones two, as Woodrich tacked on two more to cap off an Oakland 13-2 run to secure the lead.

Play teetered back-and-forth during the next few minutes as Robert Morris went up three, 19-16, but a Cooper Craggs three knotted things up. A pair of free throws were followed up by Nassim Mashhour and followed it up with his second three of the afternoon to give the team a five-point lead with 6:54 left in the half. The threes were dropping for the Golden Grizzlies as Cole hit one from range, followed by one more from Mashhour with 4:08 left to give the team a 32-26 lead.

Both teams locked down on defense in the final minutes of the half as only six combined points were scored in the final four minutes as Isaiah Jones hit a buzzer-beating two to give Oakland a 35-29 lead heading into the locker room.

After the 9-0 start, Oakland finished the half on a 35-20 run, shooting at a .375 (12-of-32) clip from the floor. The Colonials shot slightly better at a .417 (10-of-24) mark, but the difference maker was from range where Oakland had six makes compared to Robert Morris' three. Off the glass, the Colonials held the edge with 21 rebounds compared to the Golden Grizzlies 16.

The Colonials opened up the half with four-straight points before Buru Naivalurua tallied the Golden Grizzlies first points of the half. Mashhour kept with the hot hand as he drained his fourth three of the game for his 14th point, but the Colonials eventually retook a lead, at 44-42, at the 14:28 mark. Oakland also kept up with shots from beyond the arc as it continued to convert with Cole hitting a three to give Oakland the lead again, followed up by a Craggs three for a five-point lead.

The Colonials quickly closed the gap and rattled off seven-straight points to take the lead as Naivalurua ended it with a free throw, but a two got the Colonials back on the board. A Woodrich three knotted things up, as the game continued to teeter back-and-forth, before Robert Morris went ahead, 61-55, with 6:48 to go. Oakland, though, came roaring back as it scored the eight of the next 10 points to tie things up at 63. In the run, Naivalurua muscled his way to the rim, drew a foul, and saw hit shot and free throw go in, as Malcolm Christie drew a foul from three and made two of his three.

It was a tight game until the final buzzer as the Colonials went up three with 3:09 left, but a few key defensive rebounds from the Golden Grizzlies, followed by a Naivalurua two, made it a one-point game with 1:51 to play. The Colonials scored on its next possession and forced a miss from Oakland from range, however, the Golden Grizzlies came down with the board and as Christie hit from range on its second-chance opportunity to tie the game at 68 with :47 seconds to go.

The Colonials hit another three with :21 seconds left to go up, but it was Christie once again who hit from range to tie things up with :06 seconds to play. The game looked to be heading into overtime, but the Colonials drew a foul with ticks left and made a pair of free throws to take the game, 73-71.

The Golden Grizzlies shot at a .404 (23-of-57) clip from the floor while the Colonials hit at a .500 (24-of-48) mark. From three, Oakland held the edge as it finished the day with 12 threes compared to Robert Morris' 10, but it was the Colonials who won the battle at the glass with 36 rebounds compared to the Golden Grizzlies 31.

The Golden Grizzlies are back in action at home next Thursday (Jan. 30) against Green Bay for the start of three-straight inside the OU Credit Union O'rena. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET and will be streamed 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.