ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team welcomes Youngstown State to the OU Credit Union O'rena Thursday (Feb. 6) for its sole game of the week, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. ET.

Also Thursday, former Golden Grizzly Kay Felder will get his #20 'put up in the rafters'.

The Golden Grizzlies (10-14, 7-6 HL) split its pair of games last week at home, as it took down Green Bay Thursday (Jan. 30), 68-54, and came up short against Northern Kentucky Saturday (Feb. 1), 84-75.

Against the Phoenix, DQ Cole led Oakland with 18 points, while Allen Mukeba added 16 points and eight rebounds, and Buru Naivalurua posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 boards. Tied 29-29 at halftime, Oakland surged ahead in the second half with strong defense and key scoring runs to fend off Green Bay as the Golden Grizzlies finished with a 46-22 rebounding advantage.

Saturday, Oakland held a 40-39 halftime lead, powered by efficient shooting (.444) and eight three-pointers. However, the Norse outscored Oakland in the second half, using a strong run to build a double-digit lead that Oakland couldn't overcome. Northern Kentucky edged Oakland in shooting percentage (.459 to .451), rebounding (33-31), and three-pointers (12 to 11).

Naivalurua leads the team with 13.6 points per game as Mukeba is right behind with 13.4, as Naivalurua leads off the glass with 7.7 boards. The Golden Grizzlies score 66.6 points per game opposed to its opponents 69.4, while Oakland shoots at a .419 clip from the floor with 7.3 threes per game.

DATE: Feb. 6
OPPONENT: Youngstown State
LOCATION: OU Credit Union O'rena - Rochester, Mich.
TIME: 7:00 p.m. ET
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM: TV 20 / ESPN+
LIVE AUDIO
TICKETS
GAME NOTES

Oakland last played Youngstown State (14-10, 8-5) Dec. 7 as it fell, 66-50, at the Beeghly Center. Despite three Golden Grizzlies scoring in double digits, led by Mukeba's 17 points and five rebounds, Oakland struggled offensively, shooting .346 compared to Youngstown State's .442.

Oakland opened strong with an early lead but was overtaken by Youngstown State, led by EJ Farmer's 22 points and Nico Galette's nine rebounds. Turnovers and a 15-6 run by the Penguins left the Golden Grizzlies trailing, 32-23, at halftime. Efforts to close the gap in the second half fell short as the Penguins maintained control, outscoring Oakland 34-27.

The Golden Grizzlies have only lost three games at home against the Penguins out of 19 games as it's 8-2 in its last 10 inside the OU Credit Union O'rena. Last season at home (Jan. 17, 2024), a trio of current Golden Grizzlies played in the 70-67 win over the Penguins as Cole led the way with eight points.

Youngstown State is led by EJ Farmer who averages 15.1 points per game off a .420 clip from the floor. Off the glass, Nico Galette leads with 6.7 boards per game, while Juwan Maxey has hit the most threes for the team with 46.

The Penguins score 76.1 points per game and allow 71.2, shooting at a .432 clip from the field with 8.4 threes per game. Off the glass, Youngstown State averages 37.3 rebounds per game, 1.0 better than its opponents.

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

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