MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Despite missing multiple key players, the Oakland women's basketball team took on Milwaukee in their building, winning 66-53 in the best defensive showing of the season. 

Oakland put out a new starting five, with C'Erra Maholmes and Kendall Folley seeing their first starts of the season. Maholmes finished with 10 points, five rebounds and four steals, three career highs. Folley impacted the game at the point of attack with three steals to go along with her five points and three assists.

Kahlaijah Dean led the way in scoring with 19 points, going 9-10 from the free throw line. Dean, third in the Horizon League in steals coming in, finished with five steals.  

Defensively, Oakland played their best game of the season. Milwaukee's 53 points was the least Oakland allowed all year, and the Panthers were held to 30% from the field and 25% from deep. The Golden Grizzlies made their mark felt by consistently turning Milwaukee over, holding a final steal advantage of 14-5. 

The Golden Grizzlies entered the main portion of Horizon League play 2-2 in the conference, their previous four league games were all in the O'Rena. The first road test of the conference schedule came in the Klotsche Center against the 3-1 Panthers, led by preseason All-League First Team forward Megan Walstad. 

Both teams came out struggling offensively. The Panthers led 5-3 with five minutes gone, led by Walstad's three points. Beatty was the lone Golden Grizzly to score, converting her only look for a three. 

Freshman Kennedie Montue scored four points in the first quarter, hitting a three off an assist from Dean for her first collegiate points. The resurgence of the Oakland offense to close out the first quarter gave them a 13-12 lead going into the second. Montue finished with nine points and four rebounds. The freshman hit 2-4 of her threes for multiple career highs.

The Golden Grizzlies carried the momentum from the end of the first into the second, outscoring Milwaukee 11-2 over the first five minutes of the quarter. Five different Oakland players scored over the 11-2 run. 

Oakland was able to take an early lead over the Panthers with consistent defensive pressure. Maholmes and Dean both had three steals midway through the second quarter, and Folley had two. The Golden Grizzlies had an early 8-2 advantage in steals. 

Oakland outscored Milwaukee 20-7 in a second quarter where seven different Golden Grizzlies put up points. Leading the way for Oakland in the second quarter was Dean, with six points. She had eight at the half with four steals. Montue was right behind with seven points on 2-3 shooting from deep.

The Panthers responded with a 10-5 run to open the third quarter. Dean hit an and-one to reach double figures, slicing through the defense after a dribble hand-off with Helen Staley. Another layup from Dean gave Oakland a 40-29 advantage with five minutes remaining in the third.

Both offenses caught fire to end the third quarter, but the Golden Grizzlies held on to their double-digit lead after two Dean free throws to end the quarter. Oakland led 54-43 with 10 minutes to go. 

After a 5-0 Milwaukee run to open the fourth, Oakland held just a six-point lead with eight and a half minutes to go. The Panthers had crawled back from an early hole. The Oakland scoring drought continued, but thanks to tough team defense the Panthers were kept without a field goal for three minutes straight. 

A deep three from Beatty gave Oakland a nine-point lead with four minutes left. Despite the early Milwaukee run, the Panthers were held without a field goal for the final nine minutes of the game, and Oakland claimed a 66-53 win over the previously 3-1 Milwaukee squad. 

The Golden Grizzlies have a day of rest before taking on Milwaukee's in-state neighbor, the Green Bay Phoenix. Tip off is at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 1.