Milwaukee was picked to win the league for a reason.
Coming into the game with Oakland, the Panthers had four players averaging 13+ points per game, while scoring at least 65 points in every game this year en route to a 10-4 record, 3-0 in the Horizon.
They left the O’rena with 49 points.
Oakland’s defense was suffocating, holding Milwaukee to their lowest point total in the Bart Lundy era. The Golden Grizzlies did enough on offense to keep the game at a comfortable distance as well, coming away with a 65-49 win.
“I have said that I’ve felt that this team could be the best defensive team I have ever coached,” Greg Kampe said postgame. “We did a great job of defending without fouling, and I thought we really took them out of their stuff.”
The defense was the story of the night, but Oakland had standouts on the offensive end as well. Allen Mukeba was once again at the forefront of the Golden Grizzly attack, leading the way with 15 points and nine rebounds. He shot 7-11 from the floor.
His front court mate Buru Naivalurua played a great game as well, scoring 10 points and adding three blocks and two steals as well. It is clear they will be a handful the rest of the year,
Isaiah Jones took advantage of his size differential, and scored his season high, 11 points. He also grabbed five offensive rebounds, setting the tone for Oakland in what was a key battle of the night on the glass.
Perhaps the most important Oakland player of the night was the other Jones. Jaylen Jones scored his season high as well, 14, while grabbing seven rebounds.
“We dictated tempo, and you have to give him (Jaylen Jones) a ton of credit for that,” Kampe said. “Against that size and pressure to do what he did was a hug part of this game.”
Jones talked about being a guy to help control things down the stretch, after the team had let a few games slip late in the Diamond Head Classic due to some shaky guard play.
“I’m just trying learn every day. Maintaining the ball and doing whatever it takes to win,” Jones said.
Jones had some struggles against some of the upper echelon teams in the country but looked right at home on the Blacktop. His development is something to watch.
This was a big win for Oakland to get. They now hold a win over a team that will certainly be in the hunt at the top of the league throughout, and it gets the Golden Grizzlies are back to .500 in conference play, at 2-2.
They will not try to build some momentum with another home game, as Robert Morris comes to town Saturday afternoon. The Colonials are coming off an overtime loss at Detroit Mercy, following a triple overtime win against Northern Kentucky earlier in the week. They sit at 1-3 in the league and 9-6 overall.
ESPN+ will broadcast the 3pm Eastern Time tip between Oakland and Robert Morris.
