Just over a year ago, on Dec. 2, 2023, the Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) Mastodons entered Oakland University and obliterated the Golden Grizzlies to a 98-77 beatdown. They shot 17-26 from the three-point line and dropped 52 points in the 2nd half. It was the most points Oakland allowed all last season; if you don’t think it wasn’t on Oakland head coach Greg Kampe’s and all the returners’ minds, you’re wrong,
Last Wednesday, OU got right against PFW. When the final buzzer sounded, the Golden Grizzlies exorcised the demons of the past and won 76-72.
“It felt like redemption,” Buru Naivalurua said.
Beating the Mastodons is no small feat, either. They boast a great mix of efficient guards who push the pace and hit threes at an excellent clip. Even with the victory, PFW still shot 10-15 from deep, a 66.7% rate. Led by Jalen Jackson, averaging 19.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 51.6% shooting, they have a balanced attack with seven players scoring over seven points a game. Fort Wayne also loves to force turnovers and attack in transition, making them one of the premier teams in the Horizon League.
The game started slowly on both ends, but Jackson getting loose for a three-pointer did not bode well for the Golden Grizzlies. Teammate Rasheed Bello followed him up with a three of his own, gaining an early 8-3 lead. Luckily for OU, senior Malcolm Christie caught fire with two back-to-back threes, assisted by junior center Allen Mukeba. PFW kept pace with Corey Hadnot II’s first three of his own, giving the Mastodons a 13-11 advantage at the under-12 media timeout.
Scoring started to pick up fast, with both teams trading buckets back and forth. Naivalurua and guard Jaylen Jones got layups to go along with another Christie three, but Fort Wayne matched them at every step. Big man Chandler Cuthrell worked his way inside for a strong and-one finish, putting PFW back on top 24-20 at the under-8 timeout.
It didn’t take long for the lead to grow. The Mastodons found sharpshooter Maximus Nelson open for a three, and he calmly nailed it. Mukeba came through with a short jumper to keep the game within five points. After Quinton Morton-Robertson made a three-pointer, Oakland finally had a run in them to tie the game. Mukeba got excellent post positioning for two layups, followed by a Naivalurua alley-oop dunk that tied the game at 30 apiece going into the half.
A major focus for the second half was on playing more inside-out and taking better shots from the field instead of jacking up three-pointers. With two dominant big men inside, Naivalurua and Mukeba, the team had to utilize them on every possession.
Oakland did just that to start the period, finding Mukeba inside again, where Naivalurua followed up a miss with a putback layup. Nelson got loose again for PFW, drilling a three that reclaimed the lead. On the offensive end, the Mastodons put pressure on Jaylen Jones, forcing him to turn the ball over, leading to a Jackson fast break layup.
As usual, Mukeba was there to steady the team with an easy layup inside. Just like that, both teams were back to trading baskets back and forth, with the lead changing five times in just under two minutes of game time. Jones connected on a big three-pointer assisted by Naivalurua, granting Oakland a two-point lead with just over 13 minutes to play.
OU went right back to Mukeba on their first possession out of the timeout. The Belgian big man got a huge and-one layup, giving Oakland its biggest lead of the day at 44-39. They would stretch their lead further with three from freshman Nassim Mashhour and a Buru dunk, going up 49-41.
Thus began another stretch of basket trading in which Naivalurua scored six straight points, but Fort Wayne always had an answer. Just when the Mastodons cut it to four points, Jaylen Jones got loose for a three, giving the Golden Grizzlies a pivotal seven-point lead at the under-eight-minute timeout.
But the game wasn’t over yet. Basketball is a game of runs, and suddenly, Fort Wayne got theirs. In quick succession, the Mastodons turned a seven-point game into a one-point game with two quick layups and a pair of free throws. It appeared as if Oakland’s demons of late-game meltdowns were appearing yet again.
It wouldn’t be the case for this game. Battle-tested and improved in the furnace of high-intense, late-game situations, Oakland responded with an 8-2 run of their own, giving them another seven-point lead. Inevitably, the scales tipped again, and PFW flipped a 66-59 deficit into a 67-66 lead on the shoulders of Morton-Robertson, who scored six quick points to take the lead.
And who else showed up in the clutch other than Mukeba? OU went right to their star player yet again, who reclaimed the lead with back-to-back layups. Jones calmly sank two free throws to go up 72-67. Needing one more inbound play to close the game out 74-72, Oakland threw it deep to Naivalurua, who broke away for a game-ending slam dunk.
It was a resounding win for a team slowly climbing back into the upper tier of the Horizon League standings. Naivalurua and Mukeba would both finish the game with 22 points, combining for 19 rebounds and seven assists with only one turnover between them.
Next up is a home game against the Green Bay Phoenix on Thursday, Jan. 30.
