The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies lost in a heartbreaker to the North Carolina State (NCSU) Wolfpack in the Round of 32 with a final score of 79-73 on Saturday, March 23, at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The loss comes as OU’s first since Sunday, Feb. 25. The Golden Grizzlies went nearly a whole month without losing a single game.
Trey Townsend led the team in scoring with 30 points. However, Townsend wasn’t just scoring for the Golden Grizzlies — the senior also recorded 13 rebounds for a double-double.
In addition to Townsend, Jack Gohlke came up big for OU off the bench. The sharpshooter once again attempted all three-pointers, making six of his 17 attempts for 22 points. Gohlke was also a force on the glass, coming down with eight rebounds.
On the other side of the court, DJ Burns Jr. made his presence known for the Wolfpack. Burns Jr. converted on 9 of his 12 shots for 24 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
First Half
The Wolfpack got on the scoreboard first following an uber-athletic layin from guard DJ Horne. However, it would take a handful of possessions before OU scored their first basket, but Chris Conway found the basket first for the Grizzlies, showing off his post-moves in the paint.
Gohlke checked in three minutes into the game after some more empty-handed possessions on offense for the Golden Grizzlies. It didn’t take that long for Gohlke to make his first three of the game, either.
Nearly two minutes after checking in, Gohlke took and made his first 3-point attempt of the game. Gohlke’s three brought OU within two points of the Wolfpack, while a minute earlier, NCSU held a seven-point lead.
Midway through the first half, the Wolfpack still remained ahead of the Grizzlies. NCSU was a pest on defense, slowing down the pace of OU’s offense. Along with a decelerated offense, NCSU’s center, Burns Jr., was a force to be reckoned with when the Wolfpack had the ball on offense.
With Burns Jr.’s large frame, it was difficult for the Golden Grizzlies to stop him inside the paint. Additionally, Burns Jr. remained patient on offense, making the extra passes when doubled in the paint and attempting to thwart OU’s zone defense with screens in the high post.
By the end of the first half, the Golden Grizzlies tightened some loose bolts up on defense, holding NCSU to just two baskets in the final five minutes of the first.
However, OU’s offense remained stagnant in the half’s final minutes. Notably, the Golden Grizzlies shot 2-9 to end the first. After a buzzer-beating midrange make from Rockett Watts, the shot signaled the end of the first half, with NCSU leading the Golden Grizzlies 32-29.
Second Half
The start of the second half mirrored much of what happened in the first half.
OU had some issues getting the ball rolling on offense, but the Golden Grizzlies put enough effort into defense to stay neck and neck with the Wolfpack. By the first media timeout, NCSU still led OU 41-36.
Near the halfway point, Gohlke cashed in on a wide-open three to bring the Golden Grizzlies within two points of NCSU. Although it didn’t give OU the lead, the PPG Paints Arena crowd got deafening in support of the Golden Grizzlies, giving the team momentum.
Following Gohlke’s make, Townsend converted inches away at the rim to tie up the game for the first time since tipoff with 12:49 remaining in the second half.
Despite a shift in energy in the arena, the Wolfpack remained ahead of the Golden Grizzlies. With six minutes left in the game, NCSU jumped to a six-point lead, giving NCSU the most breathing room it had seen since the latter half of the first.
With the Wolfpack fighting ferociously, the Golden Grizzlies were not out for the count. Gohlke once again won over the crowd and swished the basket on a huge and-one-three to bring the Golden Grizzlies within two points right after NCSU built their lead back up to six points.
In the closing minutes of the match, OU took its first lead of the game on the back of Townsend. After converting at the charity stripe following an and-one, the Golden Grizzlies led NCSU 63-61 with 2:49 remaining in the second half.
Although NCSU eventually regained the lead, Gohlke made two big free throws from the charity stripe to tie the game. With 36 seconds left on the clock and the Wolfpack in possession of the ball, the team failed to score any points.
However, OU failed to make their chance count on offense, and the game went into overtime with the Golden Grizzlies and the Wolfpack tied 66-66.
Overtime
The Golden Grizzlies scored first in overtime with a free throw make from Townsend — the needle moved in favor of OU 67-66.
The rest of overtime was a back-and-forth affair as OU and the Wolfpack traded the lead.
However, a three-point make from Jayden Taylor and multiple makes at the free-throw line from Horne and Burns Jr. bolstered the Wolfpack to a 77-70 lead. A lead the Golden Grizzlies did not have enough time to catch up with.
The loss marks the end of the Golden Grizzlies season. It was a season that saw OU hoist its first Horizon League tournament trophy and claim its first March Madness win in the Round of 64.