The Oakland Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team took care of business this past Wednesday, Jan. 15, defeating the IU Indy Jaguars 72-59 at the OU Credit Union O’Rena.
Allen Mukeba led the Golden Grizzlies in scoring, nearly notching a double-double while stuffing the stat sheet with 20 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Buru Naivalurua and DQ Cole also had solid showings, each registering 14 points.
Jarvis Walker led the way with 16 points for the Jaguars while delivering a team-high four assists. Sean Craig was also effective for IU Indy, finishing the game with 13 points while leading the Jaguars in rebounds with eight.
The Golden Grizzlies and the Jaguars remained closely contested to start the game. Neither team could pull ahead in the opening minutes as Oakland leaned on Mukeba and Naivalurua early to provide the scoring.
The breaking point came with 12 minutes to go in the first for the Golden Grizzlies. With freshman Nassim Mashour checked into the game, he instantly nailed two consecutive three-pointers, putting Oakland up seven points midway through the first.
“He’s got a chance to be really good,” Head Coach Greg Kampe said about Mashour. “He’s just got to get better with the confidence in his handles. He’s a confident kid.”
As the first continued, Mashour’s duo of threes proved to be the difference-maker for the Golden Grizzlies in the first, as Oakland maintained their slight lead over the Jaguars. At one point, a powerful dunk from Naivalurua lifted Oakland to its first double-digit lead of the night.
Towards the end of the first, the Jaguars ran into a brick wall that was the Oakland defense. The Golden Grizzlies held IU Indy scoreless for the final four minutes of the half while Naivalurua and Mukeba took high-percentage shots in the paint, giving Oakland a 36-25 lead heading into the break.
At the start of the second, the Jaguars’ offensive struggles continued, as the Golden Grizzlies forced IU Indy to turn the ball over on their first three possessions. Oakland took full advantage of IU Indy’s turnovers, as Cole knocked down back-to-back triples, further inflating the Oakland lead.
Following Cole’s streak of threes, the Golden Grizzlies continued to dominate the Jaguars. Oakland took more high percentage looks down low, and while IU Indy continued to hang around, the Golden Grizzlies maintained a comfortable lead.
With six minutes to go, the Jaguars showed some signs of life, as two free-throw makes from Craig Sean jumpstarted an 11-0 run that brought IU Indy within ten points of the Golden Grizzlies.
Despite the late push from the Jaguars, the Oakland offense got back on track with two free throws from Mukeba. With just three minutes left for IU Indy to turn the tables, Cole sealed the Jaguars’ fate with another three to give the Golden Grizzlies their fourth conference win of the season.
From the box score, Oakland won the rebounding battle 30-26, and their ability to defend the three proved to be a catalyst for the team. IU Indy converted just 26.1% of their looks from deep, making just six total three-pointers.
“I think we’re elite defensively in the half-court. As long as we believe that, keep flying around like we fly around, we’re going to have a chance to win games,” Kampe said.
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will host the red-hot Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the OU Credit Union O’Rena. With a tip-off set for 7 p.m., the Mastodons will be a tough test for Oakland, as they are on a four-game win streak and rank second in the Horizon League standings.