Three Oakland players scored in double figures in a game where the bench put up 22 points. Kahlaijah Dean led Oakland with 16 points, while Lamariyee Williams (13) and Alona Blackwell (11) weren't far behind. Dean added seven assists to her stat line, a season high. Dean recorded five steals as well, her second time with at least five steals this year. 

Oakland got off to a slow start, falling behind 6-2 with five minutes gone in the second quarter, but quickly turned on the jets. The Golden Grizzlies closed out the first quarter on a 15-4 run to claim a 17-10 lead after one quarter. 

Olivia Sims kept up her recent stretch of hot shooting, she led Oakland with five points in the first quarter and went 1-1 from behind the arc. Lamariyee Williams added four in the first, getting to the basket consistently

Sims finished with eight points, hitting 2-2 threes for another hyper-efficient performance from deep.

Oakland's offense came alive in the second quarter, and their defense kept the Flames in check. The Golden Grizzlies made a 12-3 run over three minutes to end the half, taking a 40-23 halftime lead over UIC. It was a well-rounded first half, with Kahlaijah Dean (11) the only Oakland player in double figures. 

It was a good first half for Oakland newcomers, as Aaliyah McQueen set a career-high early with six first half points and Sims had eight. McQueen recorded a career-high eight points and added four rebounds, two assists and a steal in the most minutes she's played at Oakland. 

The Golden Grizzlies built their first-half lead on the strength of a 12-0 fast break advantage. Oakland also held a 18-6 advantage in bench points after two quarters. At halftime, the Oakland offense was cruising, up 40-23. 

UIC pulled closer in the third quarter, getting to the line and shooting 7-8 from the free throw line. In addition to free throws, UIC hit 2-3 of their 3-point attempts to trim the lead down to 12. Jaida McCloud came into the game the fifth-leading scorer in the Horizon League, she would finish with a game-high 22 points. 

The free throws for UIC were a big difference from the first half. The trend of getting to the line continued into the fourth for UIC, the Flames shot eight more free throws in the fourth, going 5-8. A stark contrast, Oakland shot just six free throws in the second half compared to UIC's 16. Oakland's cold third-quarter shooting helped the Flames claw back as well, the Golden Grizzlies shot 5-17 from the floor in the third and 2-9 from deep, cooling off after a big first half.

A fourth quarter run for the Flames gave Oakland a scare, but Oakland was able to close out the game and secure an eight-point win after Alona Blackwell hit a three to ice it. The win broke a two-game losing streak, and bumped the conference winning streak up to two. The 59 points UIC put up marked the fewest points Oakland allowed all season. 

The Golden Grizzlies return to their home court Saturday, Dec. 4 against the IUPUI Jaguars and preseason Player of the Year, Macee Williams. Tip off is at 2 p.m.