By Annie Walker

2 25 2024

GAME NOTES

https://goldengrizzlies.com/documents/2024/2/23/2_25_vs_WSU.pdf

ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team looks to extend its home win streak to eight and will play for the season sweep over Wright State as it hosts the Raiders Sunday inside the OU Credit Union O’rena, with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m. ET.

The Golden Grizzlies (19-10, 14-4 HL) utilized its stout defense to take the win against Robert Morris, 63-43, in its final road game of the regular season.

Oakland grabbed the opening four points and didn’t look back as it remained ahead for the rest of the game. Defense on both sides came up big in the opening minutes of the half as only 24 combined points were scored between the two teams with Oakland keeping pace. The Colonials cut its deficit to eight, but seven-straight points saw the Golden Grizzlies lead climb to 15 as Jack Gohlke capped it off with a make from range. Robert Morris eventually rattled off five to end the half as Oakland only allowed eight makes from the field from the Colonials

The Golden Grizzlies continued to push ahead in the second half as it found itself ahead 22 twice, the largest lead of the game, as Trey Townsend tallied his sixth double-double of the season at the 15:44 mark of the second half. A 14-0 Golden Grizzlies run was too much for the Colonials to claw back from as the team went on to win its final road game of the regular season, 63-43.

Townsend led the Golden Grizzlies as he set a new career-high from the line with 14 makes and tallied his sixth double-double of the season as he brought down 17 boards. DQ Cole followed behind as he sank four shots, with one from range, to total 12 points to accompany his six rebounds. Oakland held the Colonials to under double-digit makes from the field each half, as it made nine in the second to shoot at a .283 clip.

TOP 25
The Golden Grizzlies made its debut in College Insider’s Mid-Major Top 25 as it ranks 21st overall, with Green Bay as the only other Horizon League team on the list at no. 22. Youngstown State received three votes as Drake, who the Golden Grizzlies faced in the Cayman Islands Classic, ranks in the top-10 while Toledo, another Oakland opponent, received 34 votes. The ranking marks the first time Oakland has cracked the top-25 of the list since Feb. 14, 2022.

RECORD WATCH
Jack Gohlke ranks ninth in the Golden Grizzlies single season record book for most three-point field goals made with 100, as Travis Bader (2013-14) leads with 147. Ahead of him in eighth is Max Hooper with 105 (2015-16). He also sits fifth in three-point field goals per game with 3.45 and sixth in three-point field goal attempts with 278, three behind the fifth spot of Reggie Hamilton (2011-12).

Graduate student Blake Lampman is two games away (136) from setting Oakland’s all-time games played record as Travis Bader (2010-14) and Will Hudson (2007-11) are t-1st with 137. He’s also in the fifth spot career wise in three-point field goals made with 263, as Brad Buddenborg (1998-02) is ahead in fourth with 286, while Lampman is fourth in attempts with 791, as Jason Rozycki (1998-02) is ahead with 819 attempts.

Trey Townsend has played and started in 122 games to date, which puts him third in the Oakland record book for most games started and is fourth overall in the books in minutes played with 4,229. In games started, Keith Benson (2007-11) is ahead of him in second with 126, while Corey Petros (2011-15) is in third in minutes played with 4516. The senior also finds himself eighth overall in offensive rebounds (264, Courtney Scott (2002-05) is seventh with 265), fifth in defensive rebounds (554, Matt Stuck (1992-96) in fourth with 556) and ninth in total rebounds (814, Tom Eller (1990-94) in eighth with 827). He’s also t-9th in career double-doubles with 17, two behind John Henderson (1985-89) who has 19.

1K Club
The Golden Grizzlies have four players with 1000 career NCAA points (Townsend – 1653, Gohlke – 1127, Watts – 1017, Lampman – 1003) which is t-6th in the NCAA for most active 1000 point scorers on the same team. St. John’s (NY) leads with six, as Auburn, James Madison, TCU and Villanova have five. Watts and Lampman recorded their 1000th career-point in the same game.

DQ Cole amassed 1145 points in his career prior to joining the Golden Grizzlies, with Schoolcraft Community College and Henry Ford College, that both compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association level. Although NJCAA points don’t count towards NCAA career point totals, Cole is nearing the 1500-point club as he currently sits with 1384.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Oakland beat Wright State (16-12, 11-6 HL), 74-60, Feb. 10 as the Raiders were the final Horizon League team the Golden Grizzlies had yet to face at the time of the meeting.

The Golden Grizzlies kept up its pace throughout the first half and locked down defensively as it held Wright State’s nationally ranked scoring offense (sixth at the time) under 20 points for the opening 15:00 of play. Despite its strong defensive effort, the Raiders stayed close and made it a two-point game with a tick under 5:00 to go. The Golden Grizzlies, however, proceeded on a 14-4 run to give the team the lead headed into the locker room, 36-24.

Oakland remained in front for the majority of the second half as it continued to not let up its lead and keep a cushion of a lead. Although Wright State averaged 86.0 points per game, the Golden Grizzlies held strong as it took nearly 35 minutes of game time for the Raiders to reach 50. The Raiders were never out and kept Oakland on its toes as it made one from downtown to make it 63-56 in favor of the Golden Grizzlies with 4:13 to play. The team held on though DQ Cole tallied a final three to secure the win, 74-60.

The Raiders hold an edge over the Golden Grizzlies with a 16-10 record, but Oakland currently rides a three-game win streak. Oakland holds an even 6-6 record inside the OU Credit Union O’rena with its last loss to the Raiders at home in 2022. The Golden Grizzlies are 4-6 in its last ten and look to tie its longest win streak against the Raiders with four.

Trey Calvin leads the Raiders with 20.0 points per game, good for second in the league, as he shoots at a .492 clip from the floor. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Noel leads the team off the glass as he averages 7.5 rebounds per game.

The Raiders are t-5th in the NCAA in points per game with 85.8 but are 342nd, of 351st, in scoring defense as it allows 80.6 points per game.

Tip-off from the OU Credit Union O’rena is slated for 3:00 PM ET Sunday, Feb. 25.

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