ROCHESTER, Mich. – Two of the Horizon League's top teams square off in January, as the Golden Grizzlies welcome the Northern Kentucky Norse on Saturday, Jan. 15. The 2 p.m. tip will be broadcasted on ESPN+. 

The 5-2 Golden Grizzlies are second in the conference, and the Norse, 4-2 are right on their trail. Oakland comes into the afternoon contest on a three-game win streak, playing their best defense of the season.

Over the past three games, Oakland is holding opponents to 54.6 points per game, 13 points per game lower than their season average (67.6). The Golden Grizzlies defense is the second best defense in steals, with 117. The Golden Grizzlies three game win streak is their first since February of 2021. 

Last game against Wright State, the Golden Grizzlies had their best defensive performance of the season, holding the Raiders to 51 points in an 11-point win. Junior Breanne Beatty set career highs in points (16) and threes (4), and quick offense from Kayla Luchenbach (14 points) helped Oakland secure their seventh win of the year. Sydney Gouard set a career high as well, pulling down 11 rebounds, four offensive. 

Northern Kentucky is led by the three-headed monster of Lindsey Duvall, Grayson Rose and Ivy Turner. Duvall is the Horizon's second leading scorer, putting up 19.7 points per game. Rose is the Horizon's only double-digit rebounder, pulling down 10.1 boards per game. Turner is fourth in the conference in assists per game, with 3.5. 

The Norse are 10-3, with non-conference road wins over Wofford, Saint Louis and Miami of Ohio. Their two Horizon League losses came against Milwaukee and Cleveland State. They lead the conference in blocks, rank second in rebounds per game and foul the second-least in the conference. 

Last season, Oakland and Northern Kentucky played two games in Rochester, splitting the weekend series. Oakland opened up the series with an 84-81 win. Four Golden Grizzlies scored in double figures in the win. The next day, Northern Kentucky responded with a convincing 88-75 win. The Golden Grizzlies own the all-time series with NKU, 9-8.

Following the game against NKU, Oakland has their third consecutive home game, facing Detroit Mercy on Thursday, Jan. 20. They complete the Metro Series on Saturday, Jan. 22 at Calihan Hall. 

NOTES

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BEATTY SETS THE BAR
Against Wright State, Breanne Beatty set two career highs in points (16) and threes (4). All of her points came before the fourth quarter, as Oakland used the second and third quarters to secure their fifth Horizon League win, 62-51.

THREE: THE MAGIC NUMBER
Oakland is currently on a three-game win streak. The Golden Grizzlies have held opponents to 60 points or less in all three of their wins, something they'd only done twice before. With wins over Milwaukee, Purdue Fort Wayne and Wright State, the Golden Grizzlies vaulted into second place in the Horizon League. The 54.6 opponent ppg average over the three wins is 13 points less than the season average of 67.6 ppg.

SPECTACULAR SIX VS IPFW
Looking to improve to 4-2 in conference, Oakland women's basketball faced their toughest challenge of the season against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. The Golden Grizzlies were down to just six players: C'Erra Maholmes, Alona Blackwell, Kayla Luchenbach, Breanne Beatty, Kendall Folley and Sydney Gouard. Those six players came back from a 16-point deficit, coming back to win 63-60. Blackwell hit a game-winning corner three and a mid range shot to seal the game, she finished with a team-high 17 points.

FRESHMEN PHENOMS
To open 2022, Oakland received consecutive Freshman of the Week awards from the Horizon League. Kennedie Montue was named freshman of the week on Jan. 3, and Kendall Folley was named Freshman of the Week on Jan. 10. The freshmen join Kahlaijah Dean as Golden Grizzlies with weekly awards.

DEFENSE DOES IT
Oakland forced 24 turnovers and held the Milwaukee Panthers to 53 points, resulting in the best defensive performance of the season. Three Golden Grizzlies had three steals or more, Kendall Folley (three), C'Erra Maholmes (four) and Kahlaijah Dean (five) made up 12 of Oakland's 14 steals. Freshman Helen Staley also had two. The Oakland defense is second in the Horizon in total steals, with 117 on the season. 

MAHOLMES MAGIC
Grad student C'Erra Maholmes turned in a career night against Milwaukee, setting multiple career-highs with a 10 point, five rebound, four steal performance. One of Maholmes' steals was critical to taking the lead, as she jumped a passing lane for an uncontested layup on the fast break, bringing Oakland to within one point at the end of the first quarter. Oakland took a one-point lead on the next possession and never gave it up. 

LAST FOUR
Jan. 13: Oakland 62 // Wright State 51
The Golden Grizzlies returned home after a near month and a half absence to host the Wright State Raiders. The Golden Grizzlies won two in a row, and were looking for three for the first time this season. The Raiders held a one-point lead after one quarter, but two strong quarters from Oakland gave them their third consecutive win, putting them second in the Horizon at 5-2. The Golden Grizzlies were led by junior Breanne Beatty's 16 points and four threes, two career highs. Key buckets from Kayla Luchenbach, who finished with 14, helped Oakland even out their overall record at 7-7. Sydney Gouard set a career high with 11 rebounds, including four offensive.

Jan. 6: Oakland 63 // Purdue Fort Wayne 60
Looking to improve to 4-2 in conference, Oakland women's basketball faced their toughest challenge of the season against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. The Golden Grizzlies were down to just six players: C'Erra Maholmes, Alona Blackwell, Kayla Luchenbach, Breanne Beatty, Kendall Folley and Sydney Gouard. Those six players came back from a 16-point deficit, coming back to win 63-60. Blackwell hit a game-winning corner three and a mid range shot to seal the game, she finished with a team-high 17 points. 

Dec. 30: Oakland 66 // Milwaukee 53
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

Dec. 20: Marshall 79 // Oakland 58
The Golden Grizzlies held a one-point lead at halftime, but a 21-6 third quarter led to a 79-58 loss against the Marshall Thundering Herd. It was the second game of a back-to-back for Oakland after playing Bowling Green the night before in the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, NV. Kayla Luchenbach led the Golden Grizzlies in scoring with 13 points, and sophomore Aaliyah McQueen set a career high with 12 points on 5-8 shooting, including 2-4 from deep. 

KENNEDIE FOR THREE
With a corner three in the first quarter, freshman Kennedie Montue recorded her first points at Oakland. Montue went on to have a career night, playing the most minutes of her young career and scoring nine points, including efficient shooting. Montue went 3-6 from the floor, 2-4 from deep and had four rebounds in her first lengthy action of the season.

THUNDERING THIRD QUARTER
Against the Marshall Thundering Herd, the Golden Grizzlies held a one-point lead at halftime, 38-37. The Marshall Thundering Herd went on a big defensive run in the third quarter, outscoring Oakland 21-6. Oakland has been outscored 230-172 in the third quarter this season.

MCQUEEN GOES OFF
Sophomore Aaliyah McQueen set a career high with 12 points on 5-8 shooting, including 2-4 from deep against Marshall on Monday, Dec. 20. McQueen was a big part of Oakland's first half lead, scoring 10 points in the first half, starting off 2-2 from three.

HISTORY FOR KD
Kahlaijah Dean entered Dec. 19th's game against Bowling Green four points away from the top 20 scorers in program history. After scoring 28 points on 10-17 shooting and 3-6 threes, Dean not only secured her spot in the top 20, she became the 19th leading scorer in Oakland history.

SEASON REWIND
Dec. 19: Bowling Green 72 // Oakland 60
Kahlaijah Dean scored 28 points and moved into the top 20 all-time scorers in program history, but the Bowling Green Falcons emerged victorious, 72-60. It was the first game of the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, where the Golden Grizzlies returned to action after a 12-day hiatus. Turnovers determined the game, as Bowling Green was able to score 28 points off Oakland's 17 turnovers. Dean's 28 points put her 19th all-time in program history with 1,257 points, still with 19 games left to play in her senior season.

Dec. 7: Oakland 79 // Central Michigan 58
Kahlaijah Dean scored a season-high 34 points, tying her career-high in a wire-to-wire victory over Central Michigan, 79-58. Dean shot 11-16 from the field, 4-5 from downtown and was perfect from the free throw line, hitting all eight of her attempts. It was the third time she's scored 30 points or more in her career. Breanna Perry set a career-high in points as well, putting up 13 points on 5-7 shooting to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. Perry's eight rebounds nearly tied her career high of nine, which she set against Milwaukee in February. 

Dec. 4: IUPUI 74 // Oakland 49
Oakland couldn't overcome the perennial contender IUPUI Jaguars' big first quarter, losing 74-49 in a wire-to-wire victory for IUPUI. The loss moved the Golden Grizzlies to 3-5 overall, 2-2 in conference. Olivia Sims had another efficient night, shooting 3-5 overall, 2-2 on threes and getting to the rim to force contact. She had 11 points for her fourth game with 10 points or more. Kayla Luchenbach scored in double figures for the third time this season, putting up 14 points on 5-10 shooting and hitting 4-6 free throws. 

Dec. 2: Oakland 67 // UIC 59
A big first half propelled Oakland women's basketball to their second Horizon League win, putting them at 2-1 in conference play early in the season. 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. 

Nov. 26: Michigan State 84 // Oakland 71
A 17-3 Michigan State run in the third quarter was the deciding stretch of basketball as the Golden Grizzlies lost their second straight game, 84-71. Freshman Olivia Sims added to an impressive week, shooting a career-high 4-6 from three for 12 points. She added four rebounds, another career high. It was her second game in double figures, and fourth game of the season with two threes or more. 

Nov. 22: #13 Michigan 69 // Oakland 58
The women's basketball team's big opening fourth quarter run nearly tied the game after trailing by 18 at one point. However, a late push from the top-ranked Wolverines gave Michigan the 69-58 win over the Golden Grizzlies. Kahlaijah Dean led Oakland with 15 points, hitting 5-6 free throws. She added four rebounds, tied for the team-high with Sydney Gouard. Brianna Breedy added 11 points as well, hitting 5-9 shots including one 3-pointer, putting up another efficient stat line. The deciding factor in the 11-point win was rebounding. Oakland was out-rebounded by 19, 43-24, and allowed Michigan to grab 17 offensive rebounds. The Golden Grizzlies were active defensively as they have been all year, forcing 21 turnovers and grabbing seven steals. 

Nov. 20: Oakland 65 // Robert Morris 60
Oakland earned their first Horizon League win this season after defeating Robert Morris 65-60 on Saturday, Nov. 20. Kahlaijah Dean scored a game-high 22 points with four 3-pointers. The biggest three came with 4:18 remaining to take a one-point lead, after trailing the entire second half. After a timeout, Dean hit a big three to put the score at 59-58. Lamariyee Williams hit 4-4 free throws down the stretch to keep the lead. Dean stole the ball from Robert Morris with 43 seconds left up by three. Brianna Breedy hit two more free throws to give Oakland the 65-60 lead, which they held onto for the five-point win.

Nov. 18: Youngstown State 79 // Oakland 68
In the first conference game of the season, Oakland struggled to create consistent offense, losing to Youngstown State 79-68. A late comeback attempt almost came to fruition, but the YSU lead was insurmountable. The loss was the second of the season for Oakland, their record is now 1-2. Their Horizon League record drops to 0-1 on the young season. The visiting Penguins rode a hot shooting night all the way to a big victory, scoring the most points as a team this season. After failing to reach 60 points in their previous game, they had 61 by the end of the third quarter, and shot 27-48 from the floor (56%) – 12/23 from deep (52%).

Nov. 13: Oakland 77 // Niagara 64
Midway through the second quarter, the Golden Grizzlies lead shrunk from 14 to nine, in danger of letting their opponent back in the game. A 10-0 run over five minutes gave Oakland the momentum they needed to hold on for their first win of the season, 77-64. Oakland finished with 20 team assists and had four players in double figures to defeat Niagara. Freshman Olivia Sims and Breanne Beatty led the team with 12 points each.  Kahlaijah Dean led the team with five steals, LaMariyee Williams led the team with four assists and Breanna Perry led the way defensively with two blocks. 

Nov. 9: Toledo 84 // Oakland 72
The visiting Toledo Rockets rode a big third quarter to a victory, spoiling Oakland's home opener with a 84-72 final score. Kahlaijah Dean recorded 27 points, six assists and four rebounds, leading Oakland in points and assists. The first-team All-Horizon league athlete lived behind the arc, hitting 5-14 3-pointers. The only other Golden Grizzly to score in double figures was Kayla Luchenbach, who scored 13 on 50% shooting. Luchenbach grabbed five rebounds as well, fourth on the team. Breanna Perry led Oakland in steals, taking the ball away twice. Breanne Beatty led the team in rebounds, pulling down seven boards.

FALCONS STRIKE
Last time out against Bowling Green, Oakland lost 72-60. The Golden Grizzlies had an early lead, but turnover struggles plagued the entirety of the game, with BGSU capitalizing on most. Bowling Green scored 27 points off turnovers in a 12-point win. Kahlaijah Dean scored 28 points and grabbed five rebounds.

CAREER HIGHS AT CENTRAL
Against Central Michigan, Kahlaijah Dean and Breanna Perry both set career highs in points, with Perry setting a season-high in rebounds. Dean scored 34, shot 11-16 from the floor and 4-7 from three-point range. Perry scored 13 points, her most in a Golden Grizzly uniform, adding eight rebounds, one shy of her career high. Dean scored 25 points in the first half, propelling Oakland to a massive 20-point halftime lead. Dean outscored the Chippewas in the first half on her own.

TWO-WAY K
Kahlaijah Dean currently is third in the Horizon League in scoring (18.2) and third in steals (2.4) per game. Dean has ranked in the top five in both categories all season, and leads Oakland in points, assists and steals per game.


MCQUEEN MAKING MOVES
Sophomore transfer Aaliyah McQueen set multiple Oakland career highs in a win against UIC, coming off the bench and providing a spark with eight points, two threes, four rebounds and a steal. McQueen was pivotal to a big second quarter run which gave Oakland a cushion to secure their second conference win of the year.

DOUSING FLAMES
The Golden Grizzlies turned in their best defensive performance of the season against UIC, limiting the Flames to just 59 points. It was the first game this season in which Oakland held their opponent under 60 points. Kahlaijah Dean recorded five steals and Lamariyee Williams snagged three more in a game where UIC scored only 23 points in the first half. 

LIV'IN BEHIND THE LINE
Freshman Olivia Sims ranked 10th in 3-pointers per game in the Horizon League after hitting four against Michigan State, sixth in total threes made. After hitting six threes across two games last week, Sims now has four games with two or more threes. Her 48% shooting from deep is one of the best percentages in the conference, and is the second-best for Oakland. Shooting 11/23 on the season, only Lamariyee Williams (4-7 for 57%) shot better than Sims from long range through seven games. 

BREEDY BEAST MODE
For the third game in a row, Brianna Breedy scored in double figures, putting up 11 points against the Michigan State Spartans. She had another efficient game from the floor (50% FG). She scored 11 points against Michigan after a 13-point outing against Robert Morris. Breedy is currently second on the team in field goal and three point percentages, and is Oakland's third leading scorer. 

WORRIED WOLVERINES
On Monday, Nov. 22, Oakland took on the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. The No. 13 ranked Wolverines were undefeated coming in. They held an 18-point lead at one point. Oakland went on a massive 11-0 run to open the fourth quarter to push the Wolverines to the brink, down one with five minutes remaining. Michigan pulled away for an 11-point win, 69-58.

SUG-AR COOKIES
Lamariyee Williams set a career high in steals when she picked off five passes against Youngstown State. After facing Youngstown, Williams ranked first in steals for Oakland and fourth in the Horizon League with three steals per game. 

CAREER HIGHS VS. NIAGARA
Multiple Golden Grizzlies set career highs against the Niagara Purple Eagles on Saturday, Nov. 13. Lamariyee Williams set career highs in minutes, threes made, steals and assists in her second career start. Olivia Sims also set career highs in her second game in black and gold, scoring 12 points with two threes and three assists. Helen Staley recorded her first points at Oakland on a second-chance layup, and Aaliyah McQueen scored four points in the 2nd quarter for her first buckets as a Golden Grizzly. 

MEAN, LEAN, FIGHTING K. DEAN
Kahlaijah Dean was tied for first in the Horizon League in scoring after her 27-point outburst in the season opener against Toledo. Last season, Dean was fifth in the conference with 17.2 points per game. Her six dimes also put her tied for first in the Horizon in assists after the first game.

SIMS SPLASH
With a late three coming off a sidestep move, freshman Olivia Sims recorded her first career points, 3-pointer and field goal of her Oakland career against the Toledo Rockets.

DEAN EARNS PRESEASON HORIZON LEAGUE FIRST TEAM HONORS

After earning Horizon League First Team honors for the 2020-21 season, Kahlaijah Dean was voted a preseason All-Horizon first team athlete in October. Last season marked the third consecutive year Dean has garnered All-League honors after being named Sixth Player of the Year and All-League Third Team last season and named to the All-Freshman Team during the 2018-19 season. Dean is the first student-athlete to earn first team honors since Hannah Little in 2017.

OAKLAND RUNS ON DEAN

Kahlaijah Dean led the Golden Grizzlies in points, assists, rebounds and steals. She scored in double figures in 21 of 24 games, including eight 20-point performances. Her highest scoring performance came against Milwaukee on Feb. 13, where she dropped a career-high 34 points.

FANTASTIC FOUR SEED

The Golden Grizzlies finished as the no. 4 seed in the Horizon League last season, their best conference finish since 2017 (T-3). Their 12-8 record marked the best Horizon League record since 2017 as well. The 12 wins tied Jeff Tungate's career-best as head coach.

RUNNING AND GUNNING

Oakland scored 69.5 points per game in 2020-21, second best in the Horizon League. Led by Kahlaijah Dean's 17.2 points per game, the Golden Grizzlies scored as a team. In 2020-21, six Golden Grizzlies scored five or more points per game.

BOMBS BY BLACKWELL

In her second season, Alona Blackwell finished sixth in the league in 3-pointers made per game. Her 1.8 threes per game led the team and led to big scoring outbursts. Her five 3-pointers against Wright State on Dec. 19, 2020 was a career-high, and helped the Golden Grizzlies defeat the Raiders on the road, 75-69.

DIME TIME

Oakland ranked second in the Horizon in total assists (360), assists per game (15) and assist to turnover ratio (1.01). The ball movement was spearheaded by Kahlaijah Dean (106 total assists), Brianna Breedy (61) and Breanne Beatty (56). All three return this season.

PRESEASON PREDICTION

Oakland was picked fifth in the Horizon League preseason poll, after finishing as the No. 4 overall seed last season. Kahlaijah Dean was the only Golden Grizzly to be named to a preseason team, making the first team.

PADAWANS AND JEDIS

Six freshmen are on the 2021-22 roster this season, the most Jeff Tungate has had on the roster since 2014-15. In addition to six freshmen, Oakland has four seniors and a graduate student on the roster, putting their roster at 11 seniors/freshmen.

FRESHMAN FOCUS

Oakland's six freshmen athletes each come from unique places. Below is a quick summary of each freshman:

• Kendall Folley: 5'7" guard from Lebanon, Ohio.                                      
  • Third all-time leading scorer in Lebanon High School history
• Miriam Ibezim: 6'2" forward from Rochester, NY.       
  • Averaged 19.8 points and 19.5 rebounds per game in her career                   
• Kennedie Montue: 5'11" guard from Pittsburgh, PA.
  • 2020-21 Valley News Dispatch Girls Basketball Player of the Year
• Prunelle Mungo: 6'2" forward from Lebanon, Ohio   
  • Three-year letterwinner, lettered in volleyball as well
• Olivia Sims: 5'9" guard from Toledo, Ohio.
  • First-Team All-District selection and Third-Team All-State selection as a junior
• Helen Staley: 6'0" forward from Rosemount, Minn. 
  • Rosemount all-time leading rebounder, scored more than 1000 pts

FROM THE ILLINI TO THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
Aaliyah McQueen joins the Golden Grizzlies after playing at Illinois her freshman season. At Illinois, she played in all 19 games, averaging 9.6 minutes per game. Her career high came against Michigan State, when she scored eight points on a perfect 3-point shooting night, 2-2 from three. 

The Flint, Mich. native was the No. 22 wing in the state coming out of high school, and was named Associated Press Division I Girls Basketball All-Michigan first team as a senior.