[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he inability to get defensive stops has been something of a repeat catalyst for Oakland men’s basketball losses. It was a self-inflicted plague at the free-throw line that was the culprit Monday night, however.
The Golden Grizzlies actually halted Western Carolina in crucial situations, but a 23-for-38 performance from the stripe stunted the ability to put the game away in regulation, and the hosts eventually fell, 88-79, in double overtime.
“Going into overtime, we were 13 of 26 — it should have never been overtime,” Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. “As much as we battled, as well as we played in the second half, that’s what ultimately got us.”
It didn’t look as though it originally might get even that far, after Kahlil Felder slipped in the midst of guarding Rhett Harrelson (20 points), who set his feet and drilled an open 3-pointer with 33 seconds remaining to give the Catamounts a lead of four. On the next possession, though, Dante Williams found Max Hooper with a cross-court pass and earned a foul, drawing the fifth personal on WCU’s Mike Brown (17 points, nine rebounds) in the process. The Saint Johns transfer split the first two, but Oakland fought for the rebound on a missed third and eventually senior center Corey Petros was able to get his hands on it, finishing and drawing a foul, then converting the free throw to tie the game at 64. Felder wouldn’t make the same mistake again on Harrelson in the final seconds, getting the stop and sending it into overtime.
Oakland (0-4) played with fire again in overtime, but this time it would be the sophomore point guard coming to the rescue. Trailing by three with 25 seconds left, Felder nabbed the ball away from Justin Browning and drained a 3 with 15 seconds remaining to knot it again for the Golden Grizzlies, and Sinclair couldn’t couldn’t hit a jumper just as time expired.
“Players make plays, big shots,” Felder said. “I felt like I had to hit it. I’ve been working on my jumper all year. I felt like I had the right to take that shot, and I made it.”
The comeback couldn’t be replicated again. The Catamounts (2-2) outscored Oakland 14-5 in double overtime, getting eight of those points in the Black and Gold paint against the Golden Grizzlies, who were 0-for-5 on three-point attempts in the final five minutes.
Overall, it was a solid defensive effort from Oakland, particularly to stop Western Carolina’s top option, James Sinclair, in large part due to McCune. The 6-foot-3 guard who came in averaging over 25 points per game needed 19 shots from the field to reach his 20 points on the night.
“I thought every basket they got in the second half (in our half-court defense) was a tough shot,” Kampe said. “That’s why we were able to crawl back in the game.”
Crawl back they did, after allowing Western Carolina to shoot 70 percent and amassing a 15-point lead on Oakland late in the first half, a run sparked by Sinclair. Petros noted post-game that Oakland changed the way they were switching on screens in the second half, and the Golden Grizzlies got 3-pointers on three consecutive drives to cut the lead down to five early after the break.
McCune was significant in driving and trying to draw contact during that comeback, and finished with nine of his 12 points from the charity stripe. Williams had a make from the line with 2:37 to play in the second half that finally gave Oakland a temporary one-point lead, their first since early in the game, before eventually tying it on the sequence involving Petros.
For Oakland, Felder finished with 26 points, six assists and seven turnovers, along with four steals. Petros ended with 14 points, but could have approached 20 had he not gone 2-for-8 from the line.
The Golden Grizzlies take on Chicago State on Tuesday night as part of the round-robin, mid-major portion of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic Tournament.
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