GAME NOTES: The next stop on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies' challenging road trip is the Petersen Events Center, where they will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers in a non-conference tilt.

Oakland began its current six-game road swing with a 70-68 overtime win at Morehead State, but it will travel to Western Pennsylvania on a two-game losing streak thanks to lopsided losses to Michigan State (87-61) and Arizona (101-64) in its last two outings. Coach Greg Kampe's squad is just 1-4 in true road tests and 4-7 overall. The Golden Grizzlies have connected on only 11- of-45 attempts from behind the 3-point line over their last two games. However, they are ranked 34th nationally with 16 assists per outing.

Jamie Dixon's Panthers will be seeking their fourth straight win after defeating Manhattan, 65-56, on Wednesday. The win improved Pittsburgh to a 7-3 standing on the season and also to a 115-3 mark versus non-conference foes at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers have held six of their 10 opponents to 62 points or less and are producing 68.7 ppg. They are also ahead of Oakland on the national leaderboard for assists with 16.6 per game.

Pitt is 4-0 versus the Golden Grizzlies in the history of the rivalry. Oakland surrendered an 18-point lead and lost, 72-62, in overtime on Nov. 17, 2012 the last time it visited the PEC. The Panthers are 21-4 all-time versus Horizon League opponents.

Oakland was no match for Arizona on Tuesday as it was outscored by double digits in both halves. The Golden Grizzlies finished with 14 turnovers, 28 personal fouls and were limited to 35.6 percent efficiency from the floor. Kahlil Felder led the team with 20 points, Corey Petros netted 12 points and Tommie McCune added 10. Petros will be one of the premier big men in the Horizon League when conference play begins. The 6-foot-10 senior has posted team-leading averages of 15.9 points and 8.4 rebounds. Felder is also having a solid campaign with 15.7 ppg and 7.5 apg, which is the fifth-highest assist average nationally. Felder broke the Horizon League and Oakland freshman record with 212 assists in 2013-14 as a rookie. McCune (12.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Dante Williams (10.2 ppg) are also vital to the Golden Grizzlies' gameplan.

The Panthers attacked the basket frequently on Wednesday as they attempted only four shots from behind the 3-point line compared to 41 tries inside the arc. Sophomore forward Jamel Artis spearheaded the charge for Pitt with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. Fellow sophomore Michael Young made all six of his field goal attempts en route to 16 points, while senior guard Cameron Wright appeared to be near 100 percent as he supplied 14 points on 6- of-10 shooting from the floor. Wright, who played a key role for the Panthers' 26-win squad in 2013-14, was making only his third appearance and second start of the season versus the Jaspers after missing considerable time due to injury.

Oakland is not the same caliber team it was when it last visited the PEC as Travis Bader is no longer sporting the black and gold. The Panthers appear to be gaining momentum at the right time with ACC play just around the corner. Pitt should be able to contain Oakland's dynamic duo with its stingy defense and hand it another loss, but the Golden Grizzlies could stay close if their frequent attempts from 3-point distance begin to fall.