It hasn’t been an ideal start to February for the men’s basketball team. After beginning the month with a home loss to Northern Kentucky University, the Golden Grizzlies followed it up with another loss, this time to the Youngstown State University (YSU) Penguins. Coincidentally, both games had a score of 84-75.
The loss drops Oakland to sixth in the Horizon League standings, sitting 4.5 games behind Cleveland State in first place. They’re also two games behind fourth-place Robert Morris. A top-four finish is highly coveted in the Horizon League because it secures you a home-court game before the semifinals and championship in Indianapolis.
Before the first media timeout, the game got out to a fast start. DQ Cole went coast to coast after a steal for the game’s first points, but YSU’s Cris Carroll quickly answered with a jumper. There was some more back and forth, with Buru Naivalurua getting two layups, but the Golden Grizzlies allowed three Penguin threes in quick succession. Youngstown’s Ty Harper hit two of them, a scary sign early. Thankfully, Jayson Woodrich hit a three of his own to keep Oakland close, down only 11-9 at 14:30 left in the first half.
Soon after, the Penguins would rip off a 9-2 run due to two threes from Juwan Maxey and David Wilkerson. An Isaiah Jones layup stopped some bleeding and kept Oakland within seven points at the under-eight-minute timeout, down 22-15.
For much of the first half, whenever Oakland got on the board, YSU immediately had an answer. They ballooned their lead to 12 points after an EJ Farmer layup and another Maxey three. Naivalurua again found the basket for a layup, and freshman Nassim Mashhour hit a three, but the Penguins responded with a pair of free throws and yet another Farmer three. Going into the under-four-minute timeout, the Golden Grizzlies were hanging around down 12 points, 34-22.
OU had a quick punch in them right before the half, going on a 6-0 run courtesy of a Malcolm Christie three and a Jaylen Jones layup. They’d bring the game within four after an Allen Mukeba layup, but the Penguins got the last points of the half with two free throws. After one up-and-down half, Oakland found themselves down 38-32.
Two big things had to change in the second half. The Golden Grizzlies coughed up the ball 12 times. First, they would have to take better care of the ball and limit turnovers in the second half if they hoped to win. Second, the defense must get out to the three-point line and limit YSU’s shots from downtown. The Penguins hit a staggering seven threes in the first half alone.
Another quick burst of scoring opened the second half. YSU won those first four minutes, outscoring Oakland 13-9. Mukeba got two more buckets, with Christie hitting his second three. Youngstown State’s Nico Galette began asserting himself with his two baskets. YSU’s over-seven-footer, Gabe Dynes, put an exclamation point on their run with a dunk, giving them a 51-41 lead.
More back and forth followed, as neither team could get much traction either way. Every time one team scored, there was an immediate answer. After a Naivalurua and-one layup and an Isaiah Jones three, Oakland had worked themselves back into the game down only seven, 64-57. Almost immediately after, though, Mashhour committed a foul, sending Maxey to the line for two free throws. YSU held a 66-57 lead with eight minutes left to play.
Unfortunately for the Golden Grizzlies, the team didn’t have it in them to put together one last run. Another Farmer three opened up the game to a 15-point lead, icing it at 77-62. After a couple more minutes of action, the final score was a resounding Oakland defeat, 84-75.
Some of the most telling stats from the game: YSU shot 16-17 on free throws compared to Oakland’s 12-20. The Penguins canned 10 threes to Oakland’s seven and turned it over 13 times to OU’s 18. Perhaps most importantly, Youngstown’s best player, Farmer, had his way with the Golden Grizzlies, finishing with 25 points. Mukeba led in scoring for Oakland with 18 points but also turned the ball over four times.
Next up for the Golden Grizzlies is a trip to IU Indy on Wednesday, Feb. 12, a must-win game against one of the bottom three teams in the league.