ESTERO, Fla. — Junior point guard Jalen Moore hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to propel the Oakland men's basketball team to a 63-61 win over Vermont in the opening round of the Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena.
The Golden Grizzlies (3-2) advance to tomorrow's tournament semifinals, where they will take on Rice at 5 p.m.
Graduate senior Jamal Cain led the team with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting and added a game-high 16 rebounds and two steals. Moore scored a season-best 21 points to go along with four assists and two rebounds. Second-year freshman Trey Townsend earned his third career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Another second-year freshman in Micah Parrish contributed with seven rebounds, two assists, and a game-ending block.
Oakland took care of the ball by matching a season-low in turnovers with nine. The Golden Grizzlies shot 41-percent (25-of-60) from the field, their second-highest mark in five games. Defensively, OU held Vermont (3-2) to 38% shooting (21-of-55) and a 27% clip (8-of-29) from outside the arc.
The Golden Grizzlies used a 9-0 run to go up 12-5 with 14:13 to go in the opening half. The Catamounts rallied back to even the score at 20-all at the 7:37 minute mark following a jumper by Ryan Davis, who finished with a game-high 24 points. In the remaining seven minutes, the Golden Grizzlies outscored UVM 16-6 to head into the break in front 36-26.
Cain achieved a double-double in the first half, as he posted 12 points and 10 rebounds in just 15 minutes. Moore also had a strong half with 11 points and three assists.
UVM opened the second half on an 8-2 run to reduce its deficit to 40-35 at the 17:40 minute mark. Second-chance buckets by Townsend and Cain boosted Oakland's lead to 44-35 with 15:47 to go. The Catamounts went on a 5-0 scoring spurt to get within one possession, 49-47, at the 11:47 minute mark. Once again, the Golden Grizzlies responded by building a 60-52 advantage with 5:27 remaining in the non-conference contest.
Vermont answered back with a 9-0 run, resulting in a 61-60 lead with 2:10 to go for the Catamounts. Both teams then remained scoreless until the 11-second mark, as Moore drilled his third 3-pointer of the game. UVM got off two shots before the buzzer, but the first missed off the backboard, and the second was blocked by Parrish, clinching a 63-61 victory for the Golden Grizzlies.
Oakland returns to Hertz Arena tomorrow at 5 p.m. for a semifinal matchup against Rice, who earned a 109-104 triple-overtime win against Evansville in the first round.
#GrizzVision with Greg Kampe
Moore's game-winning shot
