Horizon League Basketball: Oakland defeats Youngstown State thanks to dynamic duo

Horizon League foes Oakland beat Youngstown State 82-65 to give them their fourth win of the season. Williams and Moore lead the way for the Golden Grizzlies tonight and they hope to continue their winning ways tomorrow. But to understand why Oakland won tonight behind the play of the dynamic duo, you have to see how they got here.

Rashad Williams

Williams last season when he became eligible to play halfway through the 2019-2020 season, made everyone in the Horizon League know that he was ready to make an impact. He started off making seven three-pointers, going 14 out of his15 free-throw attempts, and having 37 total points in a road victory against in-state and in-conference rival Detroit Mercy.

In the following game that season, he made eight three-pointers, was four for five from the free-throw line, and had 34 points in a very close and hard-fought three-point road loss against conference foe Northern Kentucky. He continued to be very productive last season

Following those two breaks out games last year, Williams would produce five three-pointers in three games and four three-pointers in two games to end the 2019-2020 season on a very strong note. This season, he struggled early but Williams on the road against Oklahoma State, made career-high 10 three-pointers, and against Michigan, he made two free throws with 28 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

Williams again on the road had himself a game once again when he and the Golden Grizzlies faced off against Michigan State. He would end up with 36 points on 12 for 28 shooting that game. He also made eight three-pointers and was four from five from the free-throw line against the Spartans.  He played fairly well on defense as well and ended up with four steals for that game. He also has played fairly well in conference play.

In William’s second conference game on the road against UIC, he had 20 points and he made five three-pointers that game. He also made five three-pointers on the road against Detroit Mercy in his fourth conference game of the season leading the Golden Grizzlies to their second victory of the season and ending up with 18 points in the game.

In a conference upset, Williams shot 50% from beyond the three-point arc scoring 18 points in Oakland’s win over Wright State. Prior to tonight’s game, in Williams’s last road game, he scored 20 points on six for twelve shooting from three-point range.

In tonight’s game against Youngstown State, he started off making Oakland’s first basket on a made three from the wing. After some great full-court pressure and causing a Penguins turnover, Williams on the next offensive possession made a nice pass and an assist to his teammate Daniel Oladapo.

Williams with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half would once again make a three from almost the same spot he made his first three of the game to cut the Penquin lead to two. Altogether, Williams had a quiet first half scoring six points to go along with his two assists.

Williams to start the second half making his third three of the game from the top of the key to give Oakland a four-point lead with just over 17 minutes remaining in the game. He would follow that up with a nice drive and dish for an assist to his teammate Trey Townsend for a two-hand dunk. On the next offensive possession, he found a driving Jalen Moore for the basket for another assist to give the Golden Grizzlies a three-point lead.

Williams with just under nine minutes remaining in the game was being guarded tight on the perimeter and took it to the lane for a nice left-hand floater to make it a 16 Golden Grizzlies lead. Williams with just over 2:30 left in the game drove to the basket for a nice floater, and then on the next offensive possession, he would end up making an eight-foot jumper in the middle of the lane. Then he would take a pass from Moore and hit his fourth three of the game to give the Golden Grizzlies a 17 point lead.

Williams ended the night with 18 total points, four assists, and two rebounds in the victory. But how did his partner Moore do and how has Moore become the general of the team? Let’s look and see how Moore did tonight and how he became the player that he has become this season.

Jalen Moore

Moore a junior college transfer from Olney Central, has made a big impact on the Golden Grizzlies this season. Against Michigan on the road, Moore scored 21 points to go along with nine rebounds and six assists in an overtime loss. Against another Big Ten and in-state school, Moore put up 26 points and dished out five assists in a loss on the road against a ranked team. He would follow that up in his Horizon League opener with 25 points, six rebounds, and five assists in a two-point road loss. Moore continued to excel in conference play.

After coming off of Oakland’s first victory of the season, Moore on the road against their in-state/in-conference main rival Detroit Mercy, put up 23 points to go along with seven assists to lead the Golden Grizzlies to a three-point victory and weekend sweep over the Titans. Moore would have his best all-around game against preseason league favorite Wright State leading the Golden Grizzlies to an upset victory where he scored 24 points going 10 for 10 from the free-throw line and having tieing his season-high of 12 assists.

This past weekend prior to tonight’s game against Youngstown State, Moore had a season-high 33 points in an overtime road loss to Green Bay in their first game, and in the second game against the Phoenix he dissed out 11 assists to go with his 15 points.

In tonight’s game against Youngstown State, Moore started the game turning the ball over as Youngstown State double-teamed him in the early full-court press. However, on the next offensive possession for the Golden Grizzlies, he got fouled and made one of his two free-throw attempts. With approximately 15 minutes left in the first half, Moore drove to the basket making a running jump shot to tie the game up at eight points apiece.

Moore with just over 10 minutes left in the first half, made a beautiful assist to Trey Townsend to cut the deficit to two. Moore with just over eight minutes remaining in the half, made a nice running jumper in the lane to make it 20-16 Youngstown State. He would break the Penguin press once again to get to the free-throw line shortly after making one of his two free-throw attempts.

Moore made two impressive back to back assists to Oladapo and then Micah Parrish with under three minutes remaining in the half. Moore on a fadeaway three-pointer from the wing with less than 45 seconds left in the first half cut Youngstown State’s lead to only three. He then took the ball all the way to the basket and was fouled and once again missing his first free throw and making his second to make it a two-point game.

However, he was fouled on the next play trying to get a rebound and this time made both of his free throws. He stole the ball on the next play and once again was fouled and he would make both free throws to give Oakland a two-point halftime lead.

Moore had a dynamic first-half scoring 14 points to go along with his five assists and two steals. To start the second half he with over 15 minutes left in the second half took a Williams pass and made a layup to give the Golden Grizzlies a three-point lead. Moore would make a long pass for an assist to Townsend to give Oakland a three-point lead again. He would find Townsend once again but this assist would end up being a three-pointer by Townsend. Moore would find Oladapo on a fast break for a lob and assist to put Oakland up 12 points their largest lead of the game.

With just under four minutes left in the game, Moore made both of his free throws to give Oakland a 13 point lead over the Penguins. He finished the game with 18 points and more impressively a season-high 14 assists in leading the Golden Grizzlies over the Penguins. Oakland and Moore will play Youngstown State tomorrow afternoon at 3 EST.