Golden Grizzlies Win Sixth-Straight and Sweep Penguins

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Play-by-play: Giovanni Moceri

Color: Drew Allison

Studio: Harjun Buttar

The Oakland Golden Grizzlies defeat the visiting Youngstown State Penguins to extend their win streak to six-straight. The final score was 70-67.

Oakland came into this game off a dominant win against the IUPUI Jaguars at the Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum. Coach Greg Kampe called this game a trap, and said that Oakland had to rise up to the challenge that Matt Crenshaw’s Jaguars were going to pose. An easy win amidst a tough slew of games in the Horizon League, Oakland felt armed and ready to take on the defending regular season champs at home.

Youngstown State came into this one boasting a three-game heater at the Beeghly, beating the extremely strong Purdue Fort-Wayne Mastodons and Horizon League mainstay Wright State in definitive fashions. 

One thing was clear: One team was going to be happy to extend their streak, the other bitterly disappointed.

Youngstown State jumped out of the gate with a 13-0 lead, capitalizing on Oakland’s early turnovers and converting good opportunities, as they have done all season. Ziggy Reid, DJ Burns, and Brett Thompson were key contributors to the run, and all three were threats to Oakland’s zone. A 14:17 bucket by Trey Townsend broke the ice for Oakland’s ice-cold offense, and the Grizzlies gradually evened out on offense. With about 6:16 left in the first half, Oakland PG Tone Hunter gave the offense some energy, commanding it like a veteran of Kampe’s scheme and giving Trey Townsend open looks. 

Youngstown’s offense kept them at a safe distance from Oakland the remainder of the half, and the Penguins led 31-28 entering halftime.

Oakland opened up the second half with their offense starting to click, but early defensive breakdowns robbed the Grizzlies of chances to turn the tide. Coach Kampe called timeout with the Penguins up 46-40. 

DQ Cole provided a much-needed spurt of offensive production coming out of the break, singlehandedly giving Oakland a 48-46 lead with 12:27 left to go in the contest. After Cole’s three-pointer to take the lead, Youngstown State never led again in the contest.

Youngstown State’s DJ Burns and Ziggy Reed kept the Penguins in the game with their ability to create shots out of thin air. Both teams got into foul trouble late, with Burns and Gabe Dynes tallying a Penguin-high four, and DQ Cole fouling out for Oakland.

Rocket Watts being the go-to man defender for Greg Kampe has been a common theme in close late-game situations, and tonight was no different. Watts went against Brett Thompson in the waning seconds of the game and snatched the ball out of midair and converted a tightly-contested layup to ice the game for Oakland.

Youngstown drops to 6-3, and looks to recoup their losses against the Detroit Mercy Titans at Calihan Hall on January 20th. Meanwhile, Oakland improves to 7-2 and continues to roll in the Horizon League. Their next game is on the road against Sundance Wicks and the Green Bay Phoenix on January 25th. 

WXOU’s next broadcast will be Thursday, January 18th, when the women’s basketball team takes on the Milwaukee Panthers to break even in the Horizon League and overall. Joey Hayes and Gavin Smilowski will be on the call for the game, and Kaylah Snell will be in the studio.