For the Oakland Golden Grizzlies against Robert Morris on Sunday, it was rolling early and often. A 51 point first half sparked a double-digit lead after the first 20 minutes of action.
After the game, head coach Greg Kampe said the team played with urgency coming out of the locker room and was pleased with its defensive effort.
“Our guys came out and played with great intensity,” Kampe said. “The first four or five possessions defensively you could see our improvement.”
It was a 51-40 lead at half, and Oakland only trailed for about 20 seconds in the opening minutes. It was a team on a mission, and that made a worried head coach happy.
“After three games on the road in the league I was really worried,” Kampe said postgame. “I was worried we would come in thinking we score 100 a game at home and we do this and do that. I was concerned it was going to be hard to stay focused and do what we needed to do. I was dead wrong.”
The first half outburst carried over to the second as well. Oakland never let the lead get under the 11 points it led by at half. The Golden Grizzlies controlled everything on the floor for nearly an entire 40 minutes. 96-73 was the final score.
“We played with enthusiasm, we hit people, we had hands above the rim. When we do that, we are a really good basketball team,” Kampe said.
Isaac Garrett was a major part of why the win was so comfortable. He was dominant, particularly in the first half where he scored 23 points. He ended the night with 30 points and six rebounds, shooting 7-of-11 from the floor and 16-of-16 from the line.
“Those are free ones I can’t be leaving out there,” Garrett said. “I’m not going to go 100% every night, I guess hopefully I do, but it’s something Kampe preaches all the time. Teams that don’t make free throws end up like dogs that chase cars, they don’t last very long.”
Over his last two contests, Garrett is averaging 28.5 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Garrett wasn’t alone in his scoring outburst, as Tuburu Naivalurua poured in a season high 21 points. He has strung together four straight games of at least 14 points, and is now averaging over 14 points a game on the season.
Garrett also spoke on the team’s scoring depth on the roster.
“We have so many guys that can get hot, and you can’t guard all of us,” Garrett said.
Michael Houge started the contest with six quick points after a game where he was in foul trouble at Youngstown State — he ended with 11 points and seven boards. Brody Robinson struggled shooting the ball, but found his way to 11 points with crucial free throws. Robinson also had five assists.
Free throws were huge all night, as Oakland shot 33-of-37 from the line as a team.
This was the first matchup of the year between the two teams, meaning it was the first matchup since head coach Andy Toole and Robert Morris beat Oakland three times a year ago, including in overtime in the Horizon League Tournament semifinal. Robert Morris went on to the NCAA Tournament and played Alabama very close as the No. 15 seed.
“We talked about it a bit. We lost three times to them [and] they ended our season in overtime,” Kampe said. “They are the defending champions, but the truth of the matter is [Naivalurua] is the only one who played in those games. I can preach all I want, but it wasn’t a key selling point.”
Next up for Oakland is a date with Cleveland State. The Vikings are 5-11 overall and 1-4 in Horizon League play. First year head coach Rob Summers has a big three of guards Tre Beard, Ice Emery and forward Dayan Nessah, who all average between 12.8 and 13.8 points per game. Cleveland State is ranked 354th in defensive efficiency per Kenpom.
Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday at Oakland and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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