They say that all good things must come to an end. Luckily for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team, bad things often end too.
Oakland completed its grueling opening five-game stretch with a 111-79 loss at Boise State and dropped to 0-5. The Broncos are averaging over 114 points through three games and have scored triple digits in all three contests, including against Butler out of the Big East.
While the deficit ended up over 30 points, for long stretches of the game it was the best that Oakland has looked in the regular season.
The Golden Grizzlies went blow for blow in the first half with Boise State. Shot making, offensive rebounding and some fast break opportunities got Oakland to within 45-42 with just over a minute left before halftime. The Broncos closed on a 7-0 run and took a 52-42 lead at the break.
From there, Oakland battled for a few minutes, but the Boise State high-powered offensive attack eventually was too much for the travel-weary Golden Grizzlies to overcome.
Oakland turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 36 Boise State points.
Minus the turnovers, Oakland’s offense was the most free flowing it has been to this point in the season. 79 is a season-high in points by over 10, and the 19 assists were also a season-high by a wide margin.
Nassim Mashhour led the charge with a career-high 28 points and four assists. Mashhour went 5-of-11 from three and made all nine of his free throw attempts. He and Chris Fields Jr. appear to be a very formidable guard and big duo in the Horizon League.
Fields also had a good night. He only missed one of his eight shots en route to 17 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Fields was in foul trouble for most of the game and still managed to put up a big stat line.
Camden Thompson was also a rebound shy of a double-double, putting up 10 points and nine boards. While the freshman is a little undersized, he is clearly a level of athlete that is rare for Oakland to get. His toughness and jumping ability have him as a weapon on the glass, and his touch around the rim is already much improved from even a month ago. He could force himself into the starting rotation in the coming weeks and months.
Thompson and Fields led the rebounding effort, but it truly appears to be a team-wide skill. Oakland outrebounded Boise State 33-29. Oakland also outrebounded Michigan and Alabama.
It may not be a coincidence that Oakland had its best offensive game in the game that RJ Taylor looked the most aggressive in. Taylor went 3-of-10 from three for nine points and had five assists. Taylor has often looked a tad overmatched against these higher level schools, but his performance tonight and in exhibition season may be a sign to withhold judgement on the point guard until we get a solid mid-major opponent sample size.
Taylor will get a chance to have a big night on Saturday as his former team, the Northern Iowa Panthers, visit the OUCU O’Rena for Oakland’s home opener. It is the only non-conference game Oakland will play within the friendly confines of home.
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