The first conference road game of the season was not kind to the Golden Grizzlies.
Oakland’s offense has struggled at times this year, with flashes of a team that can score in between some slow points. At Youngstown State on Saturday, it was a big slow point.
“Well we reached 50,” Greg Kampe said postgame.
A 66-50 loss to the Penguins dropped Oakland to 1-1 on the young conference season. While splitting the first week of games against two of the better programs of the league is probable something you take and run with, the performance Saturday was concerning, particularly offensively.
Oakland continues to try to find consistent threats from the perimeter. A 2-16 performance from three was all too familiar for the Golden Grizzlies, and it cost them big in this one. Jayson Woodrich and Malcolm Christie, too guys who were brought in to make shots, combined for 0-8 from the floor and 0-7 from three. Something over this break that will need to be figured out is how to get those guys comfortable, and it may not be in the typical “Oakland shooter fashion”.
DQ Cole scored 11 points on 3-7 from the floor. While his performance was alright, this team may need him to be the one to help break the ice when the baskets are tough to come by for Oakland. His assertiveness is a huge key, and when he is threat to get to the rim and score, the Golden Grizzlies are a better team.
Jaylen Jones and Nassim Mashhour were both kept scoreless, and Isaiah Jones is still finding his way back. Cooper Craggs hit an open shot, but that was the only field goal he took. With the duo inside putting up consistent production, and the defense seemingly very good in the league, it won’t take a superhero effort from any of these guys to have an impact on winning. Finding a few baskets a game in this group would be huge for this offense. Jaylen Jones in particular has a chance to be a real spark, with him using his playmaking as a strength.
Allen Mukeba poured in 17 points, while Buru Naivalurua added 12, despite getting in early foul trouble. They also each grabbed five rebounds. Youngstown State is one of the few teams in the league who can match Oakland’s size, and Mukeba and Naivalurua were a little less efficient than usual but found a way to produce.
Now, Oakland enters a a 10-day stretch with no games. It’s time to evaluate and assess, something that Kampe alluded to postgame.
“We are eight games in, 10 if you count exhibition season. By this point you kind of know what you are so I have some decisions to make,” Kampe said.
The last time Oakland had an extended break, they produced their two best performances of the year coming off of it at Toledo and against Wright State. This time, the next time Oakland takes the floor is on the big stage at Little Caesar’s Arena against No. 21 ranked Michigan State on national television.
Let’s see what they got.
