The Oakland University Men’s Basketball team completed their regular season earlier this March, winning the Horizon League Championship title. The team had hiccups throughout the season, but despite these moments of defeat, the Golden Grizzlies persevered to earn their champion status.
This season, fans saw several key moments in which the Golden Grizzlies appeared confident and empowered. To celebrate the Horizon League champions, The Oakland Post created a highlight reel, albeit in written form, for the OU Men’s Basketball 2023-2024 regular season.
OU vs. Detroit Mercy – First Win of the Season
The Golden Grizzlies started their season facing off against their so-called Horizon League rival, the University of Detroit Mercy. After subpar performances in pre-season exhibition games and tournaments, the Nov. 29 game was a much-needed opportunity for the team to secure a confidence-boosting win.
The Golden Grizzlies journeyed to Calihan Hall, Detroit Mercy’s home turf, for the matchup. If the team was nervous about kicking off the regular season, they did not show it.
Defensively dominant and offensively fine-tuned, the game was far from a nail-biter. Chris Conway led the charge with 16 points and Tuburu Naivalurua tied his career-high record, chipping in 11 points. The game ended with the Golden Grizzlies on top, 65-50.
OU vs. Youngstown State – New Year, New Groove
On New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, the Golden Grizzlies traveled to Youngstown to close out the year. The Golden Grizzlies needed a win, especially because the team was reeling from a three-game losing streak when they rolled into town.
When the game kicked off, the team appeared confident and collected. Not only did Chris Conway go 7-of-11 from the floor, but Trey Townsend also recorded his second-straight double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
All the Golden Grizzlies fought hard throughout the game, but perhaps none fought harder for the win than Blake Lampman. Lampman recorded a career-high 26 points for the night.
The team capped off the year with a bang, besting Youngstown State 88-81.
OU vs. Milwaukee – More Field Goals for Gohlke
The Golden Grizzlies headed to Wisconsin on Jan. 27 to face off against Milwaukee. At this point in the season, no Horizon League team had beaten Milwaukee on their home turf. Despite this daunting fact, the Golden Grizzlies were not deterred from putting up a good fight against the Panthers.
Tuburu Naivalurua proved to be a formidable opponent under the net, nabbing a career-high 17 rebounds throughout the game. Trey Townsend recorded his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Jack Gohlke proved to be the star of the night, earning a season-high 27 points and recording his 1,000th career point.
Milwaukee fought hard for the win, bringing the game into double overtime. However, in the end, the Panthers were not able to match the tenacity of the Golden Grizzlies. Free throws from Townsend and Lampman put the game to rest and the Golden Grizzlies walked away with a win, 91-87.
OU vs. Detroit Mercy – Coming Full Circle
The Golden Grizzlies finished off their regular season the way they started: playing Detroit Mercy. This time, however, the Titans did not go down without a fight. With a surge of late-season adrenaline, the Titans kept the game close throughout the night.
Lucky for Oakland, they had Blake Lampman on their side. Lampman not only scored 20 points for the Golden Grizzlies, but he also became the all-time leader in games played in an Oakland jersey in the March 2 game.
Oakland chipped away at the Titans, winning the game 75-70. The Golden Grizzlies not only walked away with a win that night, the team earned the Horizon League title outright.
