Oakland earns firstround bye in Horizon League Tournament

Mission accomplished! Oakland University avoided having to compete in the first round of next week’s Horizon League men’s basketball tournament.

The Golden Grizzlies won a hard-fought game on their home floor, beating Wright State, 75-68, Thursday night.

In doing so, the Golden Grizzlies clinched the all-important fifth spot in the regular-season league standings, meaning Head Coach Greg Kampe and company will have a bye in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.

Wait, there’s more.

The Golden Grizzlies will also play a huge role in determining who they’ll play on the road in next week’s quarterfinal round.

Northern Kentucky, Oakland’s opponent Saturday (3 p.m. at the O’rena), wrapped up a top four seeding with a 67-64 win at Detroit Mercy on Thursday.

Entering Saturday’s game, the Norse are 13-6 in league play, 1812 overall. That’s tied with Milwaukee at 13-6, 19-10.

Win or lose, there’s a chance the two teams will meet again on Northern Kentucky’s home floor next week.

Why was Thursday’s win so important for the Golden Grizzlies (11-8, 13-17 overall)?

The first five teams in the 11team Horizon League don’t play in the opening round on Tuesday. The last six teams play to determine which three will advance to the quarterfinal round on the home court of the higher seeds.

The four quarterfinal-round winners will then meet in Indianapolis on March 6-7 to compete in the semifinals and title game.

Oakland and Northern Kentucky met once this year with the Grizzlies winning a 64-63 nail-biter on the road way back on Jan. 6.

Oakland and Milwaukee have met twice this year. The Grizzlies hammered Milwaukee. 83-61, at the O’rena on Dec. 29 and lost in overtime, 80-77, on the road on Feb. 11.

In Thursday’s win over Wright State, Jalen Moore scored a gamehigh 35 points, his third 30-point game in league play, with five 3-pointers and 14-of-18 shooting from the foul line to go with nine rebounds and six assists.

Keaton Hervey finished with 17 points and nine boards and Trey Townsend added 14 points and eight rebounds for Oakland.

The Golden Grizzlies outrebounded WSU, 42-31, and held a 20-9 advantage in secondchance points. Oakland also outscored the Raiders 21-7 from the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, NKU’s Marques Warrick tallied a team-best 20 points, while Trevon Faulkner scored 13 with three triples and Sam Vinson added 11 in its win over the Titans.