ROCHESTER, Mich. - The men's basketball team looks to bounce back as it starts a three-game home stint, starting off with Green Bay Thursday (Jan. 30) and Northern Kentucky Saturday (Feb. 1), all inside the OU Credit Union O'rena.

Both streamed live on ESPN+, the Golden Grizzlies are set to face-off against the Phoenix at 7:00 p.m. ET, followed by a matchup against the Norse at 4:00 p.m. ET.
The Golden Grizzlies (9-13, 6-5 HL) look to get back in the win column after a four-game win streak was ended by Robert Morris (Jan. 25) following a win at home against Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 22).

In last Wednesday's win against the Mastodons, the Golden Grizzlies won, 76-72, fueled by strong performances from their frontcourt. Allen Mukeba led Oakland with a double-double (22 points, 11 rebounds), while Buru Naivalurua added 22 points and 8 rebounds. Purdue Fort Wayne, who were second in the Horizon League standings, was paced by Jalen Jackson's 15 points and Chandler Cuthrell's 13 points and 7 rebounds.

The game was tightly contested, tied 30-30 at halftime. Oakland's shooting efficiency (.534) and second-half rebounding advantage (30-28 overall) proved decisive. Despite a late push by the Mastodons to take a brief lead, clutch plays by Mukeba and Naivalurua secured the Golden Grizzlies' victory.

The team saw its winning streak end in a narrow 73-71 loss to the Colonials at the UPMC Events Center. Naivalurua led Oakland with a career-high 23 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Nassim Mashhour added a career-best 14 points, hitting four three-pointers. Robert Morris, led by Amarion Dickerson's 17 points and Alvaro Folgueiras' double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds), capitalized on strong rebounding (36-31) and efficient shooting (.500) to secure the win.

Oakland rallied from an early 9-0 deficit, taking a 35-29 halftime lead fueled by a 35-20 run and six first-half three-pointers. The second half featured back-and-forth scoring with multiple lead changes. Despite clutch late-game threes from Malcolm Christie, the Colonials sealed the win with decisive free throws in the final seconds.

Naivalurua leads the Golden Grizzlies with 13.6 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game, as Mukeba is right behind with 13.2 points and 6.9 boards. As a team, Oakland scores 3.3 less points than its opponents, with its 66.1 points per game, while shooting at a .418 clip with 7.1 threes per game. At the glass, the Golden Grizzlies are tied with its opposition with 34.5 rebounds per game.

DATE: Jan. 30
OPPONENT: Green Bay
LOCATION: Rochester, Mich. - OU Credit Union O'rena
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE AUDIO
TICKETS
GAME NOTES

The Phoenix (2-20, 0-11 HL) have lost its last 17 games, dating back to Nov. 22, as its last win came against SIUE, 82-57. Prior to that, it played Providence, who received votes from the AP Poll at the time, close but fell by 14 following its first win of the season at Western Illinois (Nov. 13 - W, 87-73). Green Bay is 1-11 on the road as it has lost by 10 or more points in its last six away games, its only away game with under a 10-point differential.

Oakland is an even 13-13 against the Phoenix as it dropped its previous game last season, on the road, after it rattled off four-straight against Green Bay. Oakland has won four-straight at home, dating back to 2018, as last year the team won at home, 79-73. Isaiah Jones, DQ Cole and Naivalurua all saw action as I. Jones led the way between the trio with 12 points and six rebounds.

The Phoenix are led by Anthony Roy, who averages 25.7 points per game, but has been out since Dec. 14. Following Roy is Marcus Hall who is the only player to have started all 22 games, as he has scored 12.6 points per game. The leader off the glass, and next in scoring, is Yonatan Levy who leads with 5.8 rebounds per game and averages 10.8 points per game.

As a team, the Phoenix score 69.0 points per game, off .444 shooting, and allows 80.7 points off .475 shooting. From range, Green Bay hits 8.3 threes per game and allow 9.7, as the team gets outrebounded by an average of 8.0 per game, coming down with 28.5.

Tip-off from the OU Credit Union O'rena is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET live on ESPN+.

DATE: Feb. 1
OPPONENT: Northern Kentucky
LOCATION: Rochester, Mich. - OU Credit Union O'rena
TIME: 4:00 p.m.
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE AUDIO
TICKETS

The two teams met earlier this season, on Jan. 11, which was the win that sparked its four-game win streak. Oakland's stifling defense powered a 68-53 victory over Northern Kentucky, holding the Norse to just seven points in the final 9:27. Cole led the Golden Grizzlies with 16 points, while Naivalurua added 15 points and nine rebounds. Mukeba grabbed 12 boards as Oakland dominated the glass, outrebounding the Norse 42-27.

Oakland built a 41-32 halftime lead with efficient shooting and a strong defensive effort. A second-half 13-0 run, highlighted by a Jack Hoth three-pointer, sealed the win. The Norse struggled offensively, shooting just .364 from the field and missing key free throws.

The Norse (9-12, 4-6 HL) enter the week on a five-game losing streak, as it's set to face Detroit Mercy Thursday (Jan. 30), with two of its losses coming on the road. In total, on the road, the Norse have only won one game which came at IU Indy, 66-64.

Oakland looks to get to .500 all-time against the Norse, at 12-13, as the Golden Grizzlies are 4-6 against the Norse on at home. During its last meeting inside the OU Credit Union O'rena, last season, Oakland came away with a 70-65 overtime win. Cole, I. Jones and Naivalurua saw action as Cole nearly led the team with 17 points and tied for a team-lead eight boards.

The Norse have a trio of players in the double-digits as Trey Robinson leads the way with 15.5 points off .494 from the field. Robinson also leads the team with 6.0 rebounds per game, as Josh Dilling leads the team from range with 54 threes.

The Norse score 68.9 points per game and allow 70.8 per game, as Northern Kentucky hits at a .423 clip from range. The team allows its opponents to hit at a .443 clip, while the Norse hit 7.5 threes per game compared to its opponents 8.7. The team gets outrebounded, 35.1-34.5, and turn the ball over 13.1 times per game.

Tip-off from the OU Credit Union O'rena is slated for 4:00 p.m. ET live on ESPN+.

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