On Saturday, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team secured an impressive 68-53 road win over the Northern Kentucky Norse at Truist Arena.
The win improves Oakland’s record to 6-12 on the season and 3-4 in conference play. Additionally, the win positions Oakland much better in the Horizon League, as they now have some separation from the teams at the bottom of the standings.
DQ Cole and Buru Naivalurua came up big in the win, with Cole scoring 16 points and Naivalurua contributing 15 points of his own. Isaiah Jones joined Cole and Naivalurua in the double-figures club, scoring 10 points, while Allen Mukeba came up just shy of a triple-double, scoring eight points while snatching a team-high 12 rebounds.
For the Norse, Josh Dilling led the way with 11 points while dishing out a team-high three assists. Randall Pettus II was the only other Norse to reach double-figures with ten points.
Oakland wasted no time getting the game started. Naivalurua got on the board first with a layup on the Golden Grizzlies’ first possession, ushering in a 12-3 Oakland run. Notably, during the run, Jack Hoth scored his first points in an Oakland uniform with a long-range three.
“He’s just worked his tail off, and he wants to play. We don’t win tonight without Jack,” Oakland head coach Greg Kampe said in an interview with Neal Ruhl on the Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball X account .
Following Oakland’s run and after the first media timeout, the Norse started to close the gap. Trey Robinson converted a layup before Hubertas Pivorius knocked in a three, bringing Northern Kentucky one possession away from Oakland.
Despite the pushback from Northern Kentucky, the Golden Grizzlies got back to business, responding with a 10-3 run, highlighted by a Naivalurua three as the shot clock expired. By the end of their run, Oakland comfortably led the Norse 25-15 halfway through the first.
As the first continued, the Golden Grizzlies expanded their lead to 17 points with four minutes to go before halftime. However, Northern Kentucky closed out the first with momentum, holding the Golden Grizzlies scoreless in the last three minutes as the Norse went into the break trailing Oakland 41-32.
At the start of the second half, the Norse’s momentum carried over as the Golden Grizzlies either missed or turned the ball over on their first four possessions. Oakland’s first bucket of the second came from Naivalurua, who collected Cole’s miss before banking in a hook shot.
With the Norse hanging around, the Golden Grizzlies kept their composure. After Jaylen Jones converted an athletic layup, his brother, Isaiah Jones, took a trip to the charity stripe, cashing in on both of his attempts, fortifying a 12-point Oakland lead.
Nearing the final five minutes of the game, the Golden Grizzlies began to wear out the Norse on both sides of the court. After holding the Norse scoreless for over three minutes, Naivalurua scored on back-to-back possessions, further expanding the Oakland lead.
Following an Oakland timeout, Allen Mukeba buried both of his attempts at the free-throw line to put the Golden Grizzlies up 20 over the Norse. With a huge deficit to make up, Northern Kentucky had no chance of making a comeback, giving Oakland a convincing win.
Next, the Golden Grizzlies will host the IU Indy Jaguars on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at the OU Credit Union O’Rena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and a win over the Jaguars could serve as a springboard for the Golden Grizzlies to climb further up the Horizon League standings.