YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Kahlaijah Dean scored a team-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 2-of-3 from 3-point range with five assists and three steals while Alona Blackwell scored seven of her 13 points in the third quarter and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds followed by Autumn Kissman with nine of her 11 points in the fourth quarter as Oakland snapped a three-game skid with a 71-61 Horizon League win at Youngstown State on Friday.

Overall, 10 total players got in the scorebook as Jalisha Terry had nine points off the bench with Breanna Perry scoring five points in her season debut along with Teneea Heston who also had five points. Chloe Guingrich and Kayla Luchenbach also added four points each while Breanne Beatty and Sydney Gouard chipped in with three points each.

Oakland's (4-6, 4-3 HL) hot shooting from long range was the difference in the first half as the Golden Grizzlies went 8-for-15 (53.3%) to build a 41-36 halftime lead. 

The Golden Grizzlies turned up the defense in the third quarter holding YSU (0-3, 0-3 HL) to only nine points while Blackwell's seven points helped increase the lead to 55-45. In the fourth quarter, both teams scored 16 points but Kissman's nine points in the frame helped Oakland maintain a 10-point advantage to secure the team's second league road win of the season.

Oakland and YSU will play the series finale on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.




 
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