On The Horizon

Jim Squire

State hoops: UM women brace for another huge crowd, as rival MSU comes to town--Detroit News

Oakland's found life
Michigan State is the hottest team in the state, with seven wins in a row,.
But don't sleep on Oakland, which has won five straight, after starting the season 2-11. The Golden Grizzlies, under 39th-year head coach Greg Kampe, have won five straight in Horizon League play, after starting 0-2 in Horizon. They're tied for second in the league, behind a 6-1 Milwaukee team that Oakland already has beaten.
It took a while for Oakland's roster to mesh, with some key transfers like junior guard Rocket Watts (Detroit) and graduate-student forward Keaton Hervey. The Golden Grizzlies also battled key injuries earlier in the season.
All's well now, and what you're seeing is the depth of Oakland's roster, where so many different guys can be the hero on any night. Last week, on a tough road trip, senior point guard Jalen Moore (back from an ankle injury) scored nine in the final 90 seconds as Oakland rallied for a big win at Northern Kentucky. The next game, at Wright State, Moore scored 20 and Watts hit a huge late 3-pointer to lift the Golden Grizzlies to their first win at Wright State since 2016, and Oakland's 100th all-time in the Horizon League.
Then, back home Thursday against Robert Morris, sophomore forward Trey Townsend (Oxford) had a career-high 30 points, and junior guard Blake Lampman (Haslett) had 18 points, all on 3-pointers, when he couldn't buy a 3 earlier this season as he battled remnants of a broken arm.
Hervey is averaging 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds. Watts is averaging 9.1 points after a tough start, and has really embraced Kampe's zone defense. Sophomore forward Chris Conway is coming into his own, scoring in double figures in three straight games recently and giving Oakland another inside presence with his good friend Townsend.
What you're also seeing is confidence. It was shot earlier this season, but it's back now, as Oakland is learning how to win the close games. The last three wins have been by a combined seven points.
Slam dunks
▶ An update on Detroit Mercy graduate senior guard Antoine Davis: He scored 32 in his last game, moving him into the top five all-time in NCAA history with 3,191 points. He moved past Mississippi Valley State's Alphonso Ford, and needs just 59 points to move to No. 2, which is likely his ceiling ("Pistol" Pete Maravich is uncatchable). He also is just eight away from setting the all-time NCAA 3-pointer record. Unfortunately for Davis, who returned to the Titans for a fifth and final year after considering a transfer, Detroit Mercy's season has gone off the rails.
The Titans are 6-12, and losers of four straight and seven of eight because they can't get their full team on the court. Senior forward Gerald Liddell, a double-double machine when he's been able to play, missed last week's road games at Wright State and Northern Kentucky — two crushing losses, including one particularly brutal one in which the Titans opted not to foul the Norse up three in the waning seconds, saw NKU make a 3 and, then win in overtime. Liddell returned for Thursday night's 84-79 home loss to Youngstown State, but then junior guard Jayden Stone and graduate-student guard A.J. Oliver were benched over eligibility issues.