In their final non-conference game of the season on Monday, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team couldn’t measure up to the No. 23 Arkansas Razorbacks, losing 92-62.
The game marks Oakland’s tenth loss of the season and marked the highly anticipated rematch between Oakland head coach Greg Kampe and Arkansas head coach John Calipari.
Calipari, the former head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, is no stranger to Kampe and the Golden Grizzlies, as Oakland sent the Wildcats packing in March during the first round of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
For Oakland, the frontcourt duo of Buru Naivalurua and Allen Mukeba led the way. Naivalurua dropped 18 points and came up shy of a double-double, pulling in nine rebounds. Mukeba was just behind Naivalurua with 17 points and six rebounds.
Across the court, Boogie Fland led the Razorbacks in scoring with 22 points and dished out a team-high six assists. Adou Thiero was another thorn in the side of Oakland with his 22 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
First Half
The Golden Grizzlies didn’t wait too long to put points on the board as the game got underway. On Oakland’s second possession, Allen Mukeba collected his own miss before converting a tough layup for the Golden Grizzlies’ first points of the night.
The Razorbacks built an eight-point lead midway through the first, but Oakland wouldn’t let the game get away from them. Malcolm Christie nailed three free throw attempts before a powerful Naivalurua dunk, bringing the Golden Grizzlies within two points of Arkansas with seven minutes left in the first.
With the first coming to a close, the Razorbacks jumped ahead to a five-point lead courtesy of a pair of free throws from Karter Knox. Naivalurua knocked down his signature turnaround jumper in the paint on the following possession, leaving Oakland down 42-39 heading into halftime.
Second Half
At the start of the second, the Golden Grizzlies continued to hang around with the Razorbacks. However, around four minutes in, Arkansas started to take over. A jumper from Boogie Fland was the start of seven consecutive points for the Razorbacks, as Arkansas took their first double-digit lead of the night.
From then on, it was all Arkansas the rest of the way. Oakland’s offense hung around but the Razorbacks started to heat up from all areas of the court. Whether it was a fastbreak three, a mid-range jumper, or a powerful jam, the Razorbacks could not be stopped.
In the game’s final minutes, the Razorbacks refused to take their foot off the gas as Arkansas starters battled against Oakland’s bench. The relentless style of play led to a 20-6 run to close out the game, firmly asserting a loss for the Golden Grizzlies.
From the box score, Oakland lost the rebound battle 33-28. Arkansas’ strong finish to the game culminated in a 60.3% shooting night for the Razorbacks, who converted 45.5% of their chances from deep. In comparison, the Golden Grizzlies shot 40% from the field and 11.8% from beyond the arc.
Next, the Golden Grizzlies will shift their attention to conference play for the rest of the season, starting with a game against the Milwaukee Panthers on Thursday, Jan. 2, at 7 p.m. from the OU Credit Union O’Rena.
“They remember what happened in March last year, and in their minds, they’ve waited all summer to play us to make up for that. We have a team coming in to go after us on Thursday night,” Kampe said in an interview with Neal Ruhl on the Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball X account.
With their difficult non-conference schedule in the rearview mirror, this matchup will be another tough test for Oakland, as the Panthers rank at the top of the Horizon League standings.
