It would have been explainable if Oakland didn’t come to play at Purdue Fort Wayne. One league player of the year contender did not make the trip with the team, and another spent the previous few days dealing with the flu.
However, down Isaac Garrett and with a sick Brody Robinson, Oakland beat Purdue Fort Wayne 74-65.
“You know what I’m really proud of?” Greg Kampe asked Oakland radio voice Neal Ruhl postgame. “Look at the score. At our place each team was around 100 in our first game. We just gutted this thing out.”
Oakland used seven players in the game, and all seven contributed at least four points.
That quality depth was displayed particularly in the first half, where Khoi Thurmon scored eight points before halftime. This was the first game Thurmon played at Purdue Fort Wayne since transferring from there two seasons ago. He was greatly needed on a night where Robinson was not a full go.
The other piece of the bench, Warren Marshall IV, was everywhere. He scored four points and showed off his defensive abilities all game. Marshall IV grabbed six rebounds and led the team with three blocks in 19 minutes. Marshall IV was even utilized in the hoop position that Oakland’s zone has.
Marshall IV was just one Golden Grizzly who put together a solid defensive game. Oakland’s defense held Purdue Fort Wayne to 27 second half points.
“They only shot seven free throws,” Kampe said. “That’s what this zone does. This isn’t an exact number, but in our 12 conference games we have made 50 or so more free throws than our opponents have taken.”
Michael Houge led Oakland in scoring with 15 and also pulled down 11 rebounds. Without Garrett, Houge was able to man the glass while staying out of foul trouble in 36 minutes.
Buru Naivalurua, Brody Robinson and Brett White II all had 13 points while showcasing other skills. Naivalurua was everywhere defensively with two blocks and two steals, and Robinson fought through his illness and managed four assists. White II logged his first Oakland double double with 11 rebounds.
Not to be forgotten is Ziare Wells, who scored eight points and had a couple of highlight blocks.
“We just made big plays,” Kampe said. “Buru made two huge plays down the stretch, Z had an unbelievable put-back to kind of seal the deal. Brett had 11 rebounds on basically one leg and Brody just gutted it out for us.”
The win means the Golden Grizzlies swept the season series with Purdue Fort Wayne, giving a cushion over the team who is in third place. At 13-10 overall and 9-3 in the league, Oakland is tied in the games back column with Wright State, who is 8-2.
Oakland now returns home to face Northern Kentucky. The Norse are 6-5 in the league, and Oakland has a win in Kentucky already. The first game did not have a score difference of more than six points the entire 40 minutes.
Sunday’s tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN+.
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