MILWAUKEE - Kahlaijah Dean became the 29th player in program history to reach 1000 career points as she scored 20 points in the fourth quarter en route to pouring in a new career-high 34 points on 10-of-24 shooting from the field, 4-for-9 from 3-point range and 10-of-11 from the free throw line while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds with three assists as Oakland battled but came up short at Milwaukee, 69-66, on Saturday at the Klotsche Center.

Breanne Beatty added nine points matching a career-high going 3-for-6 from 3-point range with two steals while Lamariyee Williams added eight points going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line with two steals off the bench.
Oakland (11-10, 11-7 HL) forced 19 Milwaukee (16-6, 13-5 HL) turnovers resulting in 13 points on the offensive end of the floor.  Led by Autumn Kissman's two offensive rebounds, Oakland did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 11 boards that resulted in seven second-chance points.

Oakland struggled out of the gate, falling behind 15-9 at the end of the first quarter. However, the Golden Grizzlies fought back in the second period, narrowing the deficit to 30-28 by the time halftime rolled around.

Milwaukee continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 37-33 advantage before Oakland went on a 5-0 run to grab a 38-37 lead with 4:52 to go in the third. The Panthers responded to seize a 42-39 lead entering the fourth quarter. Oakland played well near the basket, scoring six of its 11 points in the paint.

Milwaukee kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 51-41 advantage before Oakland went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Dean's three, to shrink the deficit to 51-47 with 6:06 to go in the contest. The Golden Grizzlies kept their comeback going sparked by Dean's 20 points in the frame and Kissman who put in a loose ball but missed the ensuing free throw to leave Oakland still trailing 66-63 with 22 sec. left.  However, Oakland not able to convert from the field down the stretch and was forced to foul. The Panthers hit four straight free throws to move ahead 69-63 and held on after Dean's 3-pointer with nine seconds left for the 69-66 win. Oakland fired away from deep in the quarter going 5-for-10 from 3-point range to account for 15 of its 27 points.

Oakland closes out the regular season with a home series against Northern Kentucky beginning on Friday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.

Game Notes:
» Dean led the Golden Grizzlies with a career-high 34 points scoring 20 in the fourth quarter.
» Oakland lit it up from three-point land, knocking down eight treys in the game.
» Kahlaijah Dean, Breanne Beatty, and Lamariyee Williams combined to account for 77 percent of the Golden Grizzlies points.
» The Oakland defense forced 19 turnovers.
» Oakland cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Oakland got a game-high nine rebounds from Dean.

###