| Milwaukee (8-10, 3-3 HL) | Saturday, Jan. 18 – 7 PM ET | UMW Panther Arena | Milwaukee, WI COVERAGE BROADCAST MY24/ESPN+ | TALENT: Bob Brainerd (PxP) | RADIO: WDFN-AM (1130), iHeart Radio app | TALENT: Neal Ruhl (PxP) GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – The Oakland University men’s basketball team wraps up a two-game road weekend through Wisconsin with Milwaukee on Saturday, January 18, at the UMW Panther Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 pm ET on ESPN+. The Golden Grizzlies (7-12, 2-4 HL) come off a 73-69 loss at Green Bay on Thursday night. After starting on an 11-0 run before the first media, the Phoenix soared back to make it a one-possession game at half, 38-35. The 38 points were the highest first-half output for Oakland since the league opener against Detroit on December 28 – 46. The Golden Grizzlies have been in a one-possession game at the half six times this season – Oakland is 2-4 in those outings. Senior center Brad Brechting went for a season-high 26 points in the effort. It was his highest point total since dropping 32 at Cleveland State a year ago. Brechting pulled down a season-high 14 boards for the third double-double of his season and eighth of his career. The big news that broke shortly before tipoff on Thursday night was the NCAA’s granting of Cleveland State transfer Rashad Williams’ waiver. The sophomore guard – who is second all-time in CSU history for single-season three-pointers with 91 – made his Oakland debut against the Phoenix, finishing with 16 points. The Golden Grizzlies defense has been a major highlight this season, ranking second in the league in scoring defense, 66.9, and first in field goal percentage defense, 40.8. In the last three outings, Oakland held the second-highest scoring offense in the conference – Green Bay- under double-digits for eight minutes. Last week, it took Youngstown State 8:11 to record its first points of the game. At Cleveland State on January 11, the Golden Grizzly defense held the Vikings under double digits as a team until 13:22 had come off the clock. Milwaukee entered the weekend on a three-game winning streak and fourth in the league standings before falling to Detroit Mercy on Thursday, January 16, 90-84. Overall, the Panthers are 8-10 on the season and .500 in Horizon play. Milwaukee closed out non-conference play with a pair of Power-Five programs in Kansas and Wisconsin. The Panthers fell to the No.2-ranked Jayhawks 95-68 before stumbling in Madison to the Badgers, 83-64. Oakland and Milwaukee shared a non-conference foe in Western Michigan. The Golden Grizzlies took care of business in Kalamazoo, 72-62, as the Panthers battled through three overtimes before dropping the decision, 115-110. Te’Jon Lucas has emerged as a scoring threat for Milwaukee, averaging 15.4 ppg. Lucas finished with a new career high and the first 30-point game of his career when he netted 31 against Green Bay Jan. 11. The 30-point effort was the first for a Panther since DeAndre Abram went for 31 against Detroit Mercy last January, a span of 29 games. The 31 points topped Lucas’ former career-best of 26 against Morgan State earlier this season. Darius Roy leads the squad with 16.5 ppg as Bobby Arthur-Williams Jr. is averaging a team-best 7.0 rebounds per outing. Inside the Series Overall: Milwaukee, 11-8 At Home: 4-5 At MKE: 4-6 At Neutral: 0-0 Current Streak: Oakland, 1 Last Meeting: W, 89-73 (2/16/19 at UMW Panther Arena) Series Note: Oakland has won its last four road games vs MKE NotesFor the second time since the start of league play on Dec. 28, freshman guard Blake Lampman has been named the Nike #HLMBB Freshman of the Week. Lampman finished Oakland’s road trip through Ohio as the Golden Grizzlies’ second-leading scorer with 24 total points. He knocked down 58-percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, hitting seven of 12 triples. Lampman has recorded three or more triples in eight games this season and in three-consecutive games.Since the start of the Freshman of the Week award in 2013-14, Oakland has had four players earn the award at least three times in their rookie campaigns: Kay Felder (7), Jaylen Hayes (6), Isaiah Brock (3) and Braden Norris (3). Rashad Williams was named eligible by the NCAA on January 16, announced the League and Director of Athletics Steve Waterfield. Williams transferred from Cleveland State where he averaged 10.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game during the 2018-19 season. In his debut as a Golden Grizzly, Williams joined the starting lineup and logged 36 minutes. He finished with 16 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc. Williams knocked down over 90 triples as a Viking a season ago. Senior center Brad Brechting went for a season-high 26 points last time out at Green Bay. It was his highest point total since dropping 32 at Cleveland State a year ago. Brechting pulled down a season-high 14 boards for the third double-double of his season and eighth of his career. Oakland’s defense sits second in the league at 66.9 points surrendered per game. The Golden Grizzlies held opponents to under 60 points four times this season. Opponents have hit just 40.8 percent of their field goals against Oakland, making the Golden Grizzlies’ defense tops in the Horizon League in the category.The starting lineup of Brechting, Williams, Hill-Mais, Maddox Jr. and Kangu combined for 93-percent of Oakland’s 69 points at Green Bay on January 16. The lineup chipped in 64 points, led by Brechting’s 26 and Williams’ 16. The 93-percent mark is the second-highest of any starting combination for the Golden Grizzlies this season. Against Delaware, Brechting, Hill-Mais, Kangu, Maddox Jr. and Oladapo accounted for 94-percent of Oakland’s offense, combining for 50 points. The Golden Grizzlies are 1-2 when the starters account for 90+ percent of the offense. The Golden Grizzlies opened on an 11-0 run at Green Bay – keeping the Phoenix under double-digits for eight minutes. Last week, it took Youngstown State 8:11 to record its first points of the game. At Cleveland State, the Golden Grizzly defense held the Vikings under double digits as a team until 13:22 had come off the clock. The Golden Grizzlies come into this week the third-highest ranked Horizon team in the most updated NET rankings. The NET relies on game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses. Wright State (129) and Northern Kentucky (154) are the league foes in front of Oakland (204). Green Bay (246) is the fifth-highest ranked in the conference, behind Youngstown State at 236. Oakland added 10 newcomers to the 2019-20 squad, including three transfers in Kevin Kangu (Vincennes University), Daniel Oladapo (Chipola College) and Rashad Williams (Cleveland State). |
