With Oakland in danger of falling to 2-5 in the league, and about to play a road game, their goal was do anything to come away with a win.
After a snowstorm in the Cincinnati area, a couple of injuries, starting a player in their season debut and a loss 48 hours earlier, it was needed.
The Golden Grizzlies never trailed the whole 40 minutes and secured a 68-53 win over Northern Kentucky.
Oakland came out on fire. They made seven three pointers in the first 14 minutes of game action. DQ Cole led that charge, making four of them. He scored 14 of his team leading 16 points in that early stretch, and with Oakland down leading three-point shooter Malcolm Christie, it was much needed for him to put up some big numbers.
One of those first threes came from an unfamiliar shooter, Buru Naivalurua. He made a corner three ast the shot clock was winding down, and it was a sign of things to come for him. He ended the night with 15 points and nine rebounds and scored in a multitude of ways. One bucket was a highlight put back dunk that sparked a huge reaction from everyone. He was once again a force.
Allen Mukeba was “slowed down,” as NKU did a good job on him, but he still managed his way to eight points and 12 boards. He and Buru continue to raise the level of the roster no matter what is happening elsewhere. They combined for 14 offensive rebounds in this game, and Oakland outrebounded the Norse 42-27.
The surprise in this game was the starting lineup. Jack Hoth, who was redshirting until Saturday, started in place of Christie. He opened the game with a long range three and went 2-9 from the floor for six points in his debut. Nassim Mashhour was also a factor who stepped up, as he stopped an NKU run with an and one three. He finished with those four points.
Isaiah Jones stuffed the stat sheet again, with 10 points, five boards, a team leading three steals and a team leading two assists. Jones was 0-3 from three as he was once again guarded by being sagged off of. That shot will continue to be something to watch.
Jaylen Jones had an up and down game, and Jayson Woodrich hit a three to round out the scoring in this one.
The Golden Grizzlies have struggled from the free throw line this year, and a key in this one not being tight down the stretch was the fact that they made 11-12 from the charity stripe. The rebounding and free throw performances were a big recipe for this win.
Oakland is now at 3-4 in conference play, tied for 6th. This win keeps the Golden Grizzlies attached to where they want to be, in the top four. The attention now shifts to Wednesday night, when IU-Indy comes to town. It’s a great chance to climb back to the .500 marker, before a trip to Calihan Hall in the Metro Series ends the week.
