Another chapter of the in-state rivalry between the Eastern Michigan University Eagles and the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies was written Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, as the Eagles welcomed the Golden Grizzlies to the George Gervin GameAbove center for the 22nd meeting between the two teams. Eastern Michigan leads the series 13-9 with a two-game win streak.
The game was Eastern’s fifth of the season after their comeback victory against the University of Detroit Mercy Titans on Nov. 18. The Golden Grizzlies were wrapping up their second road trip of the season before returning home. Oakland had been battle-tested early to begin the year after playing the University of Michigan, Purdue University and the University of Houston, all three being nationally-ranked teams.
After the dramatic win against the Titans, Eastern was looking to continue the momentum against the Grizzlies and push their head-to-head win streak to two before a busy Thanksgiving holiday week.
It was a battle of dynamic big men as Eagles star forward Mo Habhab took on the leading scorer for the Grizzlies, Isaac Garrett, as they went head-to-head in the high-stakes showdown. Habhab and the Eagles emerged victorious, shutting down the explosive Oakland offense with the big man almost earning a triple-double in the process of a 97-91 Eastern Michigan win.
Mohammad Habhab shooting a two-pointer in the game against Oakland University on Nov. 21 2025 at George Gervin GameAbove Center.
First half
The first four minutes for the Eagles was the Carlos Hart show as he scored every point for the green and white, tying the game at eight before the under-16 media timeout. After the timeout, Habhab earned an and-one fadeaway and quickly scored again to keep the game close.
The Golden Grizzlies, known for their 3-point shooting, did not disappoint, going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in the first 13 minutes of the first half before missing their next four shots from beyond the arc. Addison Patterson also came alive for the Eagles, hitting two big threes for Eastern Michigan, which tied the game at 27-27.
Oakland’s offense continued to break down the Eagles' defense in the paint, but two threes and a layup from Aidan Rubio cut the Golden Grizzlies lead to three before two Mak Manciel threes, which gave the Eagles their first lead of the night.
The Eagles continued their offensive success as Habhab knocked down two more scores, pushing the Eagles' lead to five. Eastern tightened their transition defense, hurting the Golden Grizzlies’ ability to find a rhythm, and managed to force multiple turnovers before the end of the first half, allowing the Eagles to go into halftime with a 5-point 46-41 lead.
Second half
Coming out of halftime, the pace slowed considerably as the teams settled into their defensive schemes and the game began getting tougher and more physical.
After getting behind the Golden Grizzlies defense, Godslove Nwabude threw down a ferocious two-hand jam that got fans on their feet, and echoes could be heard throughout the GameAbove Center. The scoring became a back-and-forth battle as the teams took turns finding success down low in the paint.
Habhab continued to impose his will, dominating on both sides of the ball and making life increasingly more difficult for the Golden Grizzlies big men. An and-one layup for Habhab pushed the Eagles' lead to three before Manciel hit another big three, extending the Eagles’ lead to six with a score of 71-65.
Eastern’s defense continued to force turnover after turnover, and Mehki Ellison made the Grizzlies pay for those mistakes. Ellison hit some big-time jumpers while also providing multiple assists to his teammates. The mistakes and poor defense in transition forced the Golden Grizzlies to take a timeout after allowing the Eagles to take an 8-point lead with nine minutes to go.
The Golden Grizzlies' timeout worked in favor of their offensive game plan, but they were still unable to contain the Eagles offense on the defensive side of the ball. Oakland could not find a way to stop Habhab and allowed him to slice and dice their defense. A ferocious dunk by Habhab put the Eagles up 83-77 before the under four media timeout.
While Habhab became the main focus for the Golden Grizzlies defense, Hart never lost his ability to score as he hit another tough and-one layup which extended the Eagles' lead to seven. Merritt Aldernink came off the bench and made his mark on the game with some defensive stops and a game-icing dunk that got fans jumping out of their seats and putting the Golden Grizzlies to bed.
#2 Carlos Hart finding an open slot to shoot in the game against Oakland University on Nov. 21 2025 at George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Stats and coach’s remarks
Offensive domination were two words to describe the Eagles as they shot 62% from the floor, scoring a season-high 97 points in the process. The Eagles bench contributed 37 points to the box score compared to only 25 points for Oakland.
A career and historic night propelled the Eagles to victory as Habhab filled out the stat sheet. With 24 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, Habhab almost became the first Eagle to ever earn a triple-double while donning the green and white. The points and assists are career highs for the big man as he continues to pick apart teams and earn yet another double-double, his fourth of the season. Eagles head coach Stan Heath talked about Habhab after the game.
“He's a really good kid," Heath said. "He's so coachable, he's very humble. He's a team guy. You can tell by the nine assists, like he tries to play the right way, and he works hard to get better.”
Hart shot 70% from the floor, scoring a season high 22 points while also dishing out five assists for the Eagles. Ellison also scored a season high 13 points off the bench.
“Mehki Ellison, he was a guy that really hadn’t played his best basketball and played extended minutes like that. And I knew he was capable,” Heath said. “He was kind of spearheading that bench the way he played.”
What’s next
After a thrilling victory over the Golden Grizzlies, the Eagles must quickly reset before taking on a busy Thanksgiving holiday week. Eastern will play three games in five days as they take on a nationally-ranked University of Louisville team Nov. 24 and a “Power 4” University of Cincinnati team Nov. 26, both games on the road.
The Eagles will then return to the George Gervin GameAbove Center on Nov. 28 for a matchup with the New Jersey Institute of Technology at 4 p.m. Fans will be able to tune into all the games on WEMU 89.1.
