2/8/2024

BOX SCORE

https://goldengrizzlies.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=11345

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team fell in overtime to Northern Kentucky, 99-89, tonight inside the Truist Arena.

The Golden Grizzlies (15-10, 10-4 HL) saw Blake Lampman lead the team with 24 points as six of his seven makes were from beyond the arc, as Jack Gohlke followed suit with 21 as all of his points were from deep. Trey Townsend led the Golden Grizzlies off the glass as he grabbed a total of nine.

The Norse (12-12, 7-6 HL) also had three players with 20+ points as Michael Bradley led the game with 26, as Trey Robinson and Keeyan Itejere both recorded double-doubles for Northern Kentucky.

The Horizon League’s men’s basketball Player of the Week Lampman got the scoring started as the team worked the ball around the arc before Lampman hit from three. Chris Conway added two points after a missed shot fell into his hands as he went up strong and slammed one home. The team had a slight three-point lead, but Northern Kentucky answered with nine-straight points to go ahead, 11-5.

Lampman put the run to an end as he sank his second three of the game, but the Norse answered with a two. The following Golden Grizzlies possession, Townsend went hard to the basket and drew the foul while he bucket dropped and made his solo shot from the stripe. The Norse missed its ensuing shot as, once again, the ball found Lampman on the other end of the court as he sank his third three in nearly 7:00 to take the lead.

The Norse regained its lead for a short period of time before Conway extended the Golden Grizzlies possession with two-straight offensive boards and fed Townsend for two. Gohlke added from range before the Norse tied things up once again, but Oakland grabbed a quick four points to go ahead. The game continued to teeter back-and-forth as the Norse stormed right back and grabbed a slim two-point lead with 6:44 to go.

The game once again swayed towards the Golden Grizzlies as Lampman lobbed one up to Townsend to knot things up, followed by DQ Cole who drilled one from downtown for the lead as time was ticking down in the first. The Golden Grizzlies looked to be in control and tried to widen the gap before the first 20 ended as Gohlke hit another from range, followed by a jumper from Conway. The team went up as much as nine as Lampman hit his fourth three of the game, but the Norse clawed back and cut the lead to three. Conway pushed it up to five, but a three at the buzzer by the Norse made it a two-point game after 20, 40-38.

The Norse shot well from the field as it went 16-of-31 (.516) from the field with four makes from three, while the Golden Grizzlies were 15-of-39 (.385) from the floor and added seven makes from beyond the arc. Oakland held the lead after 20 off the glass by two and grabbed five more offensive rebounds than the Norse. Lampman led the way in the first 20 with 12 points, all from deep, as Townsend was close behind with 11.

Oakland came out of the gates hot as Lampman made his fifth three of the game for his 15th point before Townsend drove hard for two. The Norse answered with a three of its own, followed by a two, to stick around as the Golden Grizzlies answered but couldn’t pull away early. Oakland built its lead to seven, highlighted by another Gohlke three, but the Norse kept it close and cut its deficit to three minutes later.

Oakland elongated another offensive possession and had the ball on its end for nearly a minute before Cole drove in for two. The Golden Grizzlies held on to its slight lead and didn’t give up its lead despite a strong effort from the Norse. Northern Kentucky made it a one-point game, 61-60, with 8:02 to go before Conway put one in to push it up to three. Northern Kentucky tied things up for the first time since the 4:57 mark of the first and took its first lead since the 5:09 mark.

The Golden Grizzlies came right back though and drilled three-straight threes, as Lampman hit one followed by a pair from Gohlke, to quickly put itself back ahead, 75-69. The game was tight in the final minutes of play as the Norse kept pace with the Golden Grizzlies and put it back at a one-point game with 3:01 to go. Conway got a bucket to make it 79-76 with 2:34 to go but the Norse regained the lead with four-straight points with nearly a minute to play.

Townsend knotted things up with a make from the line and forced a big turnover on the other end to give Oakland the ball with :46 seconds to play. The Golden Grizzlies nearly missed from the floor but came up with a stop on the other end of the court to force extra time tied at 80.

The Norse opened up the extra frame with a make from three as Lampman followed it up with two makes from the line. Northern Kentucky regained its three-point lead with a two in its next possession, followed up by a three to make it 88-82. The teams traded a pair of points before Gohlke nailed one from three to make it a three-point game with 2:00 to play. However, the Golden Grizzlies effort came up short as the Norse struggled to miss a shot in overtime and made a pair of stops on the Golden Grizzlies as Oakland fell, 99-89.

The Norse were 36-of-62 (.581) from the floor with eight makes from deep. Northern Kentucky shot at a .609 clip in the second half as Oakland improved from the field from the first half and hit at a .429 clip (15-of-35). The Golden Grizzlies shot a total of 82 shots from the floor and hit 32 (.390) and was 14-of-49 (.286) from three. Northern Kentucky led off the glass and came down with 41 rebounds compared to Oakland’s 39.

The Golden Grizzlies look to bounce back as it stays on the road and heads to Wright State for the teams first matchup of the season. Tip-off from the Nutter Center is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET Saturday (Feb. 10). All Oakland games this season will be live streamed through audio via The Bet1270 AM (WXYT-AM) & the Audacy App with Neal Ruhl on the call.

COURTESY OAKLAND ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS