In Oakland’s final regular season matchup, the Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team made an improbable comeback, defeating the Green Bay Phoenix on the road in overtime, 87-84.
Allen Mukeba was instrumental in the win. He scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, marking his seventh double-double of the season. DQ Cole also stuffed the stat sheet, finishing the game with 21 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block.
Marcus Hall came up big for the Phoenix, scoring 25 points while snagging five boards. Jeremiah Johnson also had a solid game for Green Bay, finishing with 18 points while converting 58.3% of his looks.
The Golden Grizzlies started solid in the first half, as Buru Naivalurua and Mukeba quickly lifted the team to an 8-3 lead. However, Green Bay found its footing on offense and promptly took advantage of some Oakland turnovers, leading to a 10-0 Phoenix run.
Although Cole and Mukeba continued to contribute midway through the first, Green Bay showed no signs of slowing down, as a three from Mac Wrecke bolstered the Phoenix lead to 24-14 with ten minutes to go in the first.
Despite Oakland’s rough start, the team fought to cut the lead down throughout the rest of the first. At one point, an Isaiah Jones three cut the Phoenix lead to two, but the Green Bay offense remained steady the entire half, and the Golden Grizzlies found themselves down 36-32 heading into the break.
Things started to look up for Oakland at the start of the second half, as Jayson Woodrich knocked down a long triple to cut the Phoenix lead to 40-39. Still, the Phoenix had another run left, scoring nine unanswered points in two minutes, restoring their double-digit lead.
With Green Bay in control, the Golden Grizzlies finally gained ground toward the end of the second, as a made free throw from Nassim Mashhour was the start of a 6-0 run. After the Oakland run, Cole closed the gap further, knocking down a three with a minute to go to make it a one-possession game.
With a chance to tie or win the game, the Golden Grizzlies leaned on their star big man, Mukeba, who collected his miss before converting a tough layup on Oakland’s final possession, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra period, the Golden Grizzlies remained in control. Although the Phoenix tied the game at multiple points, Oakland never let Green Bay experience the feeling of having a lead in overtime.
Following a miss from Green Bay’s Johnson, which would have put the Phoenix ahead with seconds remaining, Cole and Woodrich iced the game at the charity stripe, securing a much-needed win for the Golden Grizzlies.
From the box score, Oakland’s inside-out style of play stands out in this matchup. The Golden Grizzlies finished with 38 points in the paint to the Phoenix’s 22, and they were more efficient from deep, hitting 40.9% of their threes compared to the Phoenix’s 34.4%.
Postseason Outlook
Following the win against Green Bay, Oakland has secured sixth place in the Horizon League standings, just one placement away from skipping out on playing in the first round of the Horizon League tournament.
Despite not getting the first-round bye, the Golden Grizzlies will have a home-court advantage against the 11th-place team to open the tournament. Ironically, the 11th-place team in question is Green Bay.
Oakland will play the Phoenix on Tuesday, March 4, at the OU Credit Union O’Rena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and this matchup will mark the Golden Grizzlies’ last home game of the season.