For years, the games between Oakland and Detroit Mercy were highly anticipated, and a very hot ticket in the area. The last few encounters have lacked the same juice. Attendance numbers had dropped, and the game felt less intense than it had in the past. Even Greg Kampe, someone who fully embraced the hatred, had said recently that it isn’t the same.
It felt a little like old times on Saturday.
Oakland took home a 65-59 win inside Calihan Hall. It was the first meeting between Kampe and new Detroit Mercy head coach Mark Montgomery, and the new blood may have sparked something.
Detroit Mercy has a roster full of natives of the state of Michigan, and the energy they brought to this game impressed Kampe, even pushing him to say the juice might be back to media members after.
The start of the game showed what the Titans thought of this game. They stormed out of the gate with more energy and took a quick 7-2 lead. The Golden Grizzlies settled in and got the score back to even, before taking a lead midway through the half, and controlling the rest of the first 20-minute session. Oakland led 34-26 at the break.
Oakland threatened to completely pull away at times in the second half, but Detroit Mercy kept answering. The Golden Grizzlies even took a fourteen-point lead with just over four minutes to play, but that lead was cut down to four in the last minute. A few key stops for Oakland were the difference, and they pulled out the six point win. It was the 10th straight win for Oakland inside Calihan Hall, which is an opponent record in the historic building.
The win was once again keyed by the big man duo inside. Buru Naivalurua provided highlight play after highlight play, and his final stat line reflected that. He posted 13 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. His partner in crime Allen Mukeba was as good. He also scored 13 points and had 10 rebounds. He added five assists and three blocks on his day. The duo each posting a double double was huge for the Golden Grizzlies.
Behind them, the other Golden Grizzly in double figures was Jayson Woodrich. He played perhaps his best game of the season, making three of his five threes and scoring 10 points. He battled defensively as well and came up with two steals in only 13 minutes. It was a great sight to see for Oakland fans.
Oakland made 10 threes on a night they were being dared to shoot. 10-31 was the final number. Malcolm Christie returned and made three threes in his 14 minutes, even though he was questionable with an illness. Nassim Mashhour once again provided a spark and made two of his six attempts from the three, and Isaiah Jones went 1-1 from deep. Jones struggled throughout the game in his return to where he once was a player, but he was picked up by those around him in the win.
The Golden Grizzlies win streak is now their longest of the year, at three. They are now 5-4 in Horizon League play, and can sniff the top four of the standings.
Next up will be a huge game against a team that figures to be that top four for the rest of the season. Purdue Fort Wayne comes to the O’rena on Wednesday night. The game will tip off at 7pm on ESPN+.