ROCHESTER, MICH. - Kahlaijah Dean poured in a game-high 28 points, just missing her career-high of 30, while
Jalisha Terry added all of her 13 points in the fourth quarter capped off with a clutch 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining to move Oakland ahead for good as the Golden Grizzlies held on for a 76-70 Horizon League opening win over UIC on Saturday.
Dean also grabbed eight rebounds with five assists and four steals while going 9-for-12 from the free-throw line while
Breanne Beatty chipped in with eight points followed by
Chloe Guingrich with seven points and seven rebounds.
Down 68-67, Terry's clutch 3-pointer gave Oakland a 70-68 lead. The Golden Grizzlies then forced a traveling call on the other end to get the ball back. Terry then drove hard in the paint, drew a foul, and hit both ensuing free throws to extend the lead to 72-68. UIC's Jaida McCloud added a layup to pull the Flames within two points, 72-70, with 16 seconds left. Dean then sunk a pair of free throws and also hit a pair of technical free throws to seal the game.
Earlier in the fourth quarter at the 6:27 mark, Terry scored her eighth consecutive point including back-to-back 3-pointers giving Oakland a 60-54 lead. However, UIC then responded with a 12-5 run to take the lead at 66-65 with 3:50 to go. Dean then converted a driving layup giving the Golden Grizzlies the lead, 67-66, with 2:56 left.
In the first half, Oakland closed out the first quarter on a 10-0 run to move ahead 22-14 and maintained the lead throughout the second quarter before UIC closed out on a 5-0 run to pull within six points at 39-27 at the half. Dean paced all scorers with 18 points.
Oakland and UIC will play again on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m.
Gallery: (12-12-2020) Oakland WBB vs UIC - #HLWBB Opener
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