ROCHESTER, Mich. – Kahlaijah Dean and
Breanne Beatty were named women's basketball team captains for the upcoming 2021-22 season announced Head Coach
Jeff Tungate.
"Kahlaijah and Breanne have earned the right to lead this team. They know my expectations for our team, both on and off the floor. More importantly, I trust them as leaders," said Tungate. "They have worked hard this off season learning how to lead and I look forward to seeing what they've learned put into action this upcoming season."
Dean, a senior from Bakersfield, Cailf., started in all 24 during games the 2020-21 campaign earning Horizon League first team honors which marked the third consecutive year she garnered All-League honors after being named Sixth Player of the Year and All-League third team during the 2019-20 season and earning All-Freshman Team honors in 2018-19. Dean led the team in scoring (17.2 ppg – 5th HL), rebounds (5.7 – 11th HL), assists (4.3 – 3rd HL), field goal percentage (38.8 - 8th HL) and steals (1.9 – 4th HL). She also scored double figures 21 times recording a team-best eight 20-point games which ranked second in the league.
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 (over half of Oakland's 64 points) on 10-of-24 (41.7%) shooting from the field, 4-for-9 (44.4%) from 3-point range and 10-of-11 (90.9%) from the free throw line while grabbing a game-high nine rebounds with three assists at Milwaukee (2/13).
Beatty, a junior from Worthington, Ohio, played in all 24 games with 23 starts leading the team in 3-point field goal percentage (41.7%) while ranking second on the team in rebounds per game (4.2), third in assists (2.3) and 3-pointers made (25) and fourth in points per game (6.1).
She scored in double figures three times posting a career-high 15 points going 5-for-8 from the field hitting a career-best three 3-pointers at YSU (1/9) and connected on three 3-pointers against Robert Morris (2/5) and Milwaukee (2/13). Beatty also dished out a career-high five assists three times, including at Wright State (12/19) helping Oakland to a 75-69 win to secure the first victory over the Raiders since Feb. 11, 1989, at Detroit Mercy (1/15) and at Cleveland State (1/29).
In preparation for their new roles as team captains, Dean and Beatty received valuable leadership advice from Oakland University President,
Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D. and women's basketball alum Ann Serra-Lowney who was a 1990 All-American and 2011 Hollie L. Lepley Hall of Honor inductee.
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