If there was any doubt among those who follow Oakland about its status as a Horizon League contender after a home loss to Wright State, it probably no longer exists.
In a matchup that involved the two teams that were tied for second in the league standings, Oakland took an early lead against Green Bay and never looked back. The Golden Grizzlies took their first lead at 8-7 and did not trail again. After a Green Bay run closed the halftime score to 37-31, Oakland used a 51-32 second half to put the finishing touches on an 88-63 road win.
“What a week we had,” Greg Kampe told Oakland radio voice Neal Ruhl postgame. “After that debacle last Sunday on national television, what a week. I am just so proud of these guys. I haven’t taken many teams here and came away with two wins.”
It was Oakland’s first sweep of the Wisconsin trip since the 2016-2017 season, when Oakland won a share of the Horizon League regular season title. This win kept Oakland just a half-game back of first place Wright State and put the Golden Grizzlies all alone in second place.
This was the second game in a row that Oakland was able to hold their opponent to 63 points or less, making it the first two times that they have done that against a Division I opponent al l season.
“I give my staff a tremendous amount of credit for the game plan they crafted,” Kampe said about the team’s defensive effort. “Our kids are to the point now where we can tweak the zone for a specific opponent and that really means we are on our way.”
Buru Naivalurua had a career-high 26 points to lead the way offensively. He made 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double double. Seven of those rebounds were offensive.
“That’s the guy we need,” Kampe said. “Isaac has had games like that, Houge has had games like that, we needed a Buru game like that. If you’re guarding us man-to-man, it is pick your poison because we have three guys who can go on the block and score.”
Isaac Garrett added another double double of his own, totaling 17 points and 10 rebounds in only 27 minutes. It’s back-to-back double doubles for Garrett, and his sixth in the last ten games.
Ziare Wells made six of his seven field goals, including both of his threes. He was good for 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. The other Golden Grizzly in double figures was Brody Robinson, who scored all 10 of his points in the second half, while also dishing out five assists.
After five days away in Wisconsin, Oakland now heads home for a bout with IU Indy. The Jaguars are currently in last place in the Horizon League at 1-9 but beat Robert Morris last week in overtime. Kyler D’Augustino is one of the leading scorers in the conference at 18.7 points per game.
Under first year coach Ben Howlett, IU Indy plays at the fastest pace in the country, making this an intriguing matchup on Wednesday. Tip-off is lasted for 7 p.m. Eastern Time, with the broadcast being on ESPN+.
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