ROCHESTER, Mich. - The men's basketball team heads to Wisconsin to close out the regular season, as it's set to take on both Milwaukee and Green Bay.
The team starts off its road trip against Milwaukee tomorrow (Feb. 27) inside UWM Panther Arena, with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+. The team then treks to Green Bay for its regular season finale to face the Phoenix inside Resch Center, live on ESPN+, set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Golden Grizzlies (13-16, 10-8 HL) are coming off a 1-1 week as it recently took down the at-the-time Horizon League leaders in Cleveland State at home in overtime, 91-86. Prior to that, however, Oakland fell on the road to Purdue Fort Wayne, 88-60.
Against Purdue Fort Wayne, Oakland started strong with a 9-0 run but trailed 42-35 at halftime as the Mastodons capitalized on their perimeter shooting, going 10-of-20 from deep in the first half. The Golden Grizzlies fought back to tie the game early in the second half but couldn't maintain momentum as Purdue Fort Wayne pulled away with consistent three-point shooting and timely scoring. Oakland outrebounded the Mastodons, 35-28, but couldn't close the gap late in the game.
The team bounced back though inside the OU Credit Union O'rena on Senior Day, as head coach
Greg Kampe earned his 132nd Horizon League win, surpassing the previous record held by Perry Watson of Detroit Mercy.
Cleveland State, led by Chase Robinson's 18 points and Je'Shawn Stevenson's 16 points, started strong with a 13-point lead midway through the first half. Oakland rallied with a late first-half surge, narrowing the deficit to 46-42 at halftime. The Golden Grizzlies kept pace in the second half, taking their first lead at the 14-minute mark and trading blows with the Vikings in a high-stakes finish.
Woodrich's clutch shooting kept Oakland alive, including a late three-pointer to briefly give it the lead. Mukeba's critical layup tied the game at 77, forcing overtime. In the extra period, Oakland dominated in the paint to secure the win. The Golden Grizzlies outperformed the Vikings on the boards, 47-32, and finished shooting .459 from the field.
Mukeba leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game, and is close behind
Buru Naivalurua who leads the team in rebounds with 7.6, with 7.4. As a team, the Golden Grizzlies average 69.1 points per game and hit at a .428 clip from the floor with 7.2 threes made per game. It allows 71.2 points per game, off a .439 clip from the floor, as Oakland wins off the glass, 35.4-34.0.
DATE: Feb. 27
OPPONENT: Milwaukee Panthers
LOCATION: UWM Panther Arena - Milwaukee, Wis.
TIME: 8:00 p.m. ET
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE AUDIO
GAME NOTES
The Golden Grizzlies got the best of the Panthers (19-10, 12-6 HL) earlier this season, 65-49, at home (Jan. 2) to kick off the calendar year. Mukeba led Oakland with 15 points and nine rebounds, while
Jaylen Jones added 14 points and six boards. Oakland built a 33-23 halftime lead through strong interior play and stifling defense. The Panthers struggled offensively, shooting just .370, and couldn't mount a comeback in the second half and out-rebounded Milwaukee, 36-31, and shot .423 from the field.
Oakland looks to even the series on the road as it's currently 6-7, with its last loss at Milwaukee coming in 2023. Last season, the team won a thrilling double overtime game, 91-87, as Cole, Naivalurua and
Isaiah Jones saw action with Cole leading the three with 10 points.
Milwaukee has five players that average double-digit points, with Themus Fulks leading the way with 14.5 points per game, shooting .470 from the floor. Kentrell Pullian, who has made the most threes on the team (44), is third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game. Jamichael Stillwell ranks second on the team in scoring, with 13.1 points per game, and averages a double-double with 10.8 rebounds per game.
The Panthers, who are 11-2 at home this season, average 78.8 points per game and hold its opponents to 72.1 points per game. The team shoots at a .467 clip with just 6.0 threes made per game, as it dominates off the glass, grabbing 40.1 rebounds compared to its opponents 29.6.
Tip-off from UWM Panther Arena is slated for 8:00 p.m. ET live on ESPN+.
DATE: March 1
OPPONENT: Green Bay Phoenix
LOCATION: Resch Center - Green Bay, Wis.
TIME: 7:00 p.m. ET
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE AUDIO
GAME NOTES
Just like against the Panthers, the Golden Grizzlies won its sole meeting so far this season against the Phoenix (3-26, 1-17 HL) at home on Jan. 30. The game was tied, 29-29, at halftime, despite Oakland's 24-9 rebounding advantage. The Golden Grizzlies opened the second half with high-energy dunks and stifling defense, holding Green Bay to just one point in the first seven minutes. Strong shooting from
Malcolm Christie and
Nassim Mashhour sealed the win, 68-54, as Oakland out-rebounded Green Bay, 46-22, and shot .414 in the second half compared to Green Bay's .292.
Oakland is 5-9 on the road against Green Bay, including a loss in its last visit last season, but is 2-1 in its last three in Green Bay. The Golden Grizzlies fell, 69-59, against the Phoenix as Cole, I. Jones and Naivalurua all played, with Cole and I. Jones adding five and four points, respectively.
Green Bay's leading scorer, Anthony Roy, leads with 25.7 points per game but hasn't seen action since December. Below him is Marcus Hall, the only other Phoenix player in the double-digits in points, with 13.6 points per game off a .436 clip from the floor. Off the glass, Yonatan Levy leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per game to go along with his 9.1 points per game.
The Phoenix are 2-10 at home with one of those wins coming from conference play. The team gets outscored, 79.9-69.1, as Green Bay shoots at a .436 clip from the floor with 8.1 threes made per game. It allows a mark of .472 with 8.8 threes made per game, as it gets outrebounded, on average, 36.7-29.4.
Tip-off from Resch Center is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET live on ESPN+.
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