The Golden Grizzlies put themselves in position to knock off the Orange but narrowly miss late on opportunities at the Carrier Dome.
SYRACUSE, New York – Oakland University men’s basketball fell short at Syracuse, 74-62, on Wednesday, December 18, at the Carrier Dome. The Golden Grizzlies kept it a two-possession game with just over four minutes to play before the Orange put the game away.
Senior Brad Brechting led Oakland (5-7, 0-0 HL) with 20 points and six rebounds. The effort was Brechting’s first 20-point performance since the season opener against Goshen on November 5. Senior Xavier Hill-Mais hit double digits for the 11th time this season, notching 16 points to go with his six boards.
The Golden Grizzlies outrebounded Syracuse (6-5, 1-1 ACC), 34-29, marking the eighth game this season Oakland has been more active on the glass than its opponent. The Black and Gold are averaging 38 boards per outing. The bigs for Oakland made their presence felt, outscoring Syracuse, 30-20, in the paint.
OU dished out 15 helpers on 19 field goals, led by sophomore Tray Maddox Jr.’s four. The Golden Grizzlies capitalized on 16 fouls by the Orange, hitting 20-of-24 from the foul line. Brechting went a perfect 8-of-8, as Hill-Mais knocked down all four of his attempts.
Elijah Hughes came into the night as Syracuse’s leading scorer and once again led the charge with a game-high 23 points. Joseph Girard III finished with 20 points. Bourama Sidibe pulled down a game-high 13 boards.
With just over six minutes remaining, Brechting knocked down a pair of free throws to bring Oakland to within six, 66-60. Following a miss on the offensive end for the Orange, Kenny Pittman Jr. hauled in the defensive rebound and pushed the ball up court. Blake Lampman drew a foul for a one-and-one opportunity. The freshman out of Haslett hit iron on the first attempt that led to Syracuse extending the lead back to double digits with 3:21 to play.
The Orange’s biggest lead was the final, 74-62. Much of the game was spent within single-digits. The Golden Grizzlies deficit was just three, 32-29, with 3:28 to play in the opening half before Syracuse hit a pair of triples late in the frame to push the halftime score to 45-35.
Oakland returns home on Saturday, December 21, for the first time since defeating Hartford, 60-50, on November 18. The Golden Grizzlies are set to host Fairfield on the Blacktop. Tipoff is slated for 2 pm.
Notes
- Wednesday’s game was the fourth meeting between Oakland and Syracuse. The Orange have claimed all four meetings. This was the smallest margin of victory by Syracuse in the series.
- Two legendary coaches met on the hardwood on Wednesday night in Greg Kampe and Jim Boeheim. Kampe and Boeheim enter this season as two of the longest-active tenured coaches in all of Division I. Boeheim has led Syracuse since 1976, making him the longest-tenured coach in the nation. Kampe’s 36 seasons at Oakland is good for third on the list, bested only by Boeheim and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.
- Tray Maddox Jr. knocked down a three-ball with 7:41 to play in the opening half to keep Oakland’s three-point streak alive. The Golden Grizzlies have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 982-consecutive outings. The last time OU didn’t hit a three was Jan. 30, 1988 against Wayne State. The streak is the seventh-longest in the NCAA.
- Making his first-career start tonight was freshman Madison Monroe. He was joined by Brad Brechting, Xavier Hill-Mais, Tray Maddox Jr. and Daniel Oladapo in the starting five. Madison has appeared in six games this season, averaging 8.3 minutes per outing.
- Xavier Hill-Mais’ 16 points marks the 11th game this season the senior has scored in double figures. Hill-Mais entered the night as the seventh-leading scorer in the conference.
- Brad Brechting’s 20 points was his first 20-point performance since the season opener against Goshen on November 5.
- For the eighth time this season, the Golden Grizzlies won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Orange, 34-29.
- The senior duo of Hill-Mais and Brechting combined for 36 points. Oakland outscored Syracuse 30-20 in the paint.
- Oakland finished the game with a +4 margin in the turnover battle.
- CJ Gettelfinger ended a Syracuse 7-0 scoring run with a half court shot as the shot clock was expiring. We’ll hopefully see it on SportsCenter in the #SCTop10.
- Coach Greg Kampe went 12-deep against Syracuse, as Jim Boeheim played just three off the bench. As a result, the Golden Grizzlies’ bench outscored the Orange’s, 12-5.
- Oakland’s three-point shooting woes continued in the Carrier Dome, going 4-of-18. Tray Maddox Jr. had two of the four, finishing the game 2-of-3. The rest of the squad combined for 2-of-15. The Golden Grizzlies are shooting 28.1-percent on the year from distance.
- Oakland’s biggest run came midway through the second half when the Golden Grizzlies went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 55-51.
- Oakland plays Detroit Mercy in 10 days. The rivalry matchup will be at the O’rena on December 28 at 3 pm. It’s a White Out game.
