Calihan Hall felt alive. In front the largest Detroit Mercy crowd of the season, the Metro Series was renewed. Each team was desperate for a win after tough home losses earlier in the week, and both squads played like it for 40 full minutes.
When the game came to an end and the final buzzer sounded, one phrase echoed throughout the Oakland Golden Grizzly locker room.
“We don’t lose to Detroit.”
For the 11th time in a row, Oakland won at Detroit Mercy, extending the all-time record for an opponent at the historic Calihan Hall. This game saw a final score of 95-87.
“I told our team we were very fortunate to have this game after the debacle on Wednesday,” Greg Kampe said postgame. “This game means so much to us and to the former players that have built this into what it is.”
Kampe also said that the combination of the IU Indy loss and the rivalry win gave an extra good feeling to the group in the locker room.
“We don’t celebrate regular season wins,” Kampe said. “We beat Xavier a few years ago and I didn’t let them go crazy, it’s always ‘let’s celebrate in March.’ But I let them celebrate after this one and that locker room was a ton of fun today.”
Brody Robinson had some fun on the court before he postgame celebration. He scored 24 points and dished out 10 assists while playing the entire 40 minutes of game time. Robinson made all nine of his free throws, many of which came in the final minute of the game.
“[Robinson] came off of his worst game of the season and was Batman tonight,” Kampe said. “We’ve come to expect that out of him.”
Also scoring 24 points was Ziare Wells, who was spectacular in the second half. He went 11-of-13 from the floor, making seven of those field goals in the second half. His coach had high praise for him after the game.
“He was an all-league level player tonight. He was really good,” Kampe said.
Oakland got big time production from two of their big men as well. Buru Naivalurua scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in only 29 minutes of action. Naivalurua also made all six of his free throws. Michael Houge, a Detroit native, posted 15 points and six boards as well.
While Oakland got the win to move to 8-3 in league play and remain a half game out of first place, a big storyline to watch is the health of Isaac Garrett. Garrett rolled his ankle late in the game and did not return after scoring six points. While there is now official update, Kampe said postgame that the team expects to be without the services of Garrett for the upcoming week of play. Garrett left the gym on crutches, but was putting weight on the injured ankle.
The Golden Grizzlies now travel to Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday. Purdue Fort Wayne is 7-3 in the league and have won five games in a row. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN+.
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