ROCHESTER, Mich. - In their final homestand of the season, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies rose above the Green Bay Phoenix in the first round of the #HLMBB Championship, winning 96-72, inside the OU Credit Union O'rena.

Jayson Woodrich played in career game number 159, all while being a part of the Horizon League, setting the all-time record for most games played in the league.

Oakland continues on the #HLMBB Championship as it travels to No. 3 seed Milwaukee, with tip-off Thursday (March 6) at 8:00 p.m. ET, inside the Klotsche Center, live on ESPN+.

Isaiah Jones and recently named Horizon League All-Second team member Allen Muekba led the Golden Grizzlies (15-17, 11-9 HL) in scoring, with both players recording 15 points. Additionally, Mukeba finished the game with a team-high 11 rebounds, marking his eighth double-double on the season.

For the Phoenix (4-27, 2-18 HL), Jeremiah Johnson led the way with 21 points and nine rebounds. C.J. O'Hara also had a solid game for Green Bay, recording an efficient 15 points and six rebounds.

Mukeba got on the scoreboard first for Oakland, scoring a layup on the Golden Grizzlies' first possession. On the next possession, Isaiah Jones turned defense into offense by intercepting a Green Bay pass before converting an and-one layup.

Following Oakland's hot start, Malcolm Christie and I. Jones quickly established a double-digit lead over the Phoenix, with both players hitting back-to-back threes to tip the score to 17-7 in favor of the Golden Grizzlies.

Midway through the first half, Buru Naivalurua started to get hot on offense. In three minutes, Naivalurua provided all of the scoring for Oakland, converting down low in the paint and at the charity stripe to keep the Golden Grizzlies ahead.

With the first coming to a close, the Phoenix found some success on offense inside the three-point line. However, the Golden Grizzlies continued to pull away, refusing to let Green Bay gain any ground as Oakland went into the break up 47-34.

At the half, the Golden Grizzlies shot at a .471 (16-for-34) mark from the field while the Phoenix converted .405 (15-for-37) of their attempts from the floor. Oakland shot at a .467 (7-for-15) clip from deep, while Green Bay shot at a .231 (3-for-13) rate from beyond the arc. Off the boards, both teams managed to secure 21 rebounds by the end of the first.

At the start of the second half, the Golden Grizzlies stayed steady on offense, finding most of their points in the paint as DQ Cole and Mukeba attacked the rim. On the other side of the court, Green Bay kept pace with the Golden Grizzlies but couldn't find a way to cut into Oakland's lead early.

Halfway through the second, Oakland started to pull further away from the Phoenix, as a three from Cole kickstarted a 9-2 Golden Grizzly run that featured Jaylen Jones knocking down a deep three. With ten minutes left in the second, Oakland remained on top, 64-45.

As the game neared its final moments, the Golden Grizzlies left no breathing room for the Phoenix down the stretch, resulting in a resounding 96-72 win for Oakland.

By the end of the game, the Golden Grizzlies shot at a .493 (34-for-69) clip from the floor while the Phoenix converted .391 (27-for-69) of their looks from the field. Oakland shot at a .444 (12-for-27) mark from the three-point line, while Green Bay made their threes at a .269 (7-for-26) rate. The Golden Grizzlies also won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Phoenix 42-41.

Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will take on the Milwaukee Panthers in the quarterfinal round of the #HLMBB Championship on Thursday, March 6, at UWM Panther Arena. With tip-off set for 8 p.m. EST, the game will be live-streamed 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.