Men's Basketball Sinks Norse in 70-65 Overtime Win at Home

Subscribe to the WXOU Sports YouTube channel for highlights, interviews, and full game broadcasts!

Play-by-play: Giovanni Moceri

Color: Drew Allison

Sideline Reporter: Gavin Smilowski

Studio Producer: Harjun Buttar

The Oakland Golden Grizzlies drown the defending Horizon League Champion, Northern Kentucky, and broke a five-game win streak that the Norse had at the OU Credit Union O’rena. It was a contest that came down to the wire and required overtime to determine a winner. 70-65 was the final score favoring the Golden Grizzlies.

Northern Kentucky came into this game off an 88-85 overtime heartbreaker against the Cleveland State Vikings at the Wolstein Center. The Norse’s subpar 35% shooting percentage in the first half doomed them and forced them to tighten up their shots in the second.

Oakland came into this game with an exciting win against the Green Bay Phoenix at the OU Credit Union O’rena, marking their third win in a row. Oakland big man Trey Townsend had 28 points and 11 rebounds in that game and was hungry for yet another big performance. 

The Norse’s Trey Robinson opened up the scoring with a three. Oakland then got the lead back through some tough shots of their own, which were hard to convert for both teams. Big Grizz held a lead until the 10:06 mark when Keeyan Itejere made a jumper to give the Norse an 11-10 lead.

A good stretch by the Grizzlies capped off by a Trey Townsend free throw briefly turned the tide of the contest, until a Jeremiah Israel layup gave NKU an edge they held for the majority of the contest. A half marked by good defensive stands for both teams resulted in a paltry 29-24, NKU advantage heading into the second half. 

Northern Kentucky held the advantage for the majority of the second half. Every time Oakland got close, NKU reeled in the fishing pole. Oakland was marred by poor shooting, and the Norse had way too many turnovers. Oakland held the Norse’s Marques Warrick, who was averaging 26 points in Horizon League play, to just 10 on the night. They took the ball out of his hands and caused Warrick to scramble for open looks.

Oakland’s DQ Cole became the hero of the hour with 8 points and 1 assist coming out of the 8:00 timeout. A deep three by Cole gave Oakland a lead with just over 5:00 to go in the second half.

The Grizzlies seemed to have game in hand until Michael Bradley hit a parking-lot three to tie up the game with 56 seconds to go. Neither team scored the remainder of the second half, and the game was forced into OT. 

Oakland opened up overtime with a quick 4-1 stretch until Warrick slipped through the Kampe Zone for a layup. However, the Golden Grizzlies responded with another clutch three to put the dagger in the contest. The remainder of the contest was free throws, both teams finishing out strong from the charity stripe. Ultimately, Oakland had the edge and came away with the win.

Northern Kentucky falls to .500 in conference play and 8-9 on the season. They’ll prepare to travel down I-75 to face the Detroit Mercy Titans, in what has become a buy game for the Horizon League. 

Oakland, meanwhile, improves to 5-2 in conference play and 10-8 on the year. They’ll prepare to go on the road to Indianapolis for a quick battle with the IUPUI Jaguars at the Indiana Farmers’ Coliseum. 

WXOU’s next broadcast will be Saturday, January 13th when the Oakland women take on the Detroit Mercy Titans in the second leg of the Women’s Metro Series. Coverage will begin at 1:45. Joey Hayes and Noah Stalker will be your commentating team. Be sure to tune in right here at 88.3 FM WXOU!