FORT WAYNE, Ind. – A sunny December 4 Sunday afternoon in the Crossroads of America, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies overcame a double-digit first-quarter deficit and knocked off the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, 66-64, at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center.

The win moves Oakland back to .500 at 4-4 and is their first Horizon League triumph of the season. Purdue Fort Wayne, meanwhile, is now 4-5 and also 1-1 in conference action.

With the Mastodons racing out to a 10-0 lead in the first 3:03, Sunday was off to a less than ideal start, but the Golden Grizzlies responded by scoring 11 of the next 14 and had it down to four, 18-14, after 10 minutes of play.

Purdue Fort Wayne still held the lead, albeit a slim one, 29-28, at the halftime break, but Oakland junior Linda van Schaik – who finished with a game-high 21 points, her second 20-point outing in the last three – banked a 3 in from well behind the arc in what wound up being one of two buzzer-beaters on the day.

Maria Marchesano's Mastodons upper their cushion back to four, 47-43, at the conclusion of three quarters, but the Golden Grizzlies were able to win the fourth by six.

"Purdue Fort Wayne deserves a lot of credit, they came out ready to go, took it to us, made some shots early," head coach Jeff Tungate said.

"We just needed to calm down and go win, that's what it boils down to. I think they did a good job and we just didn't come out doing what we needed to do to get off to a good start."

Struggling to shoot the basketball effectively in their December 2 Horizon League opener against the Cleveland State Vikings, Oakland was much better Sunday, hitting nearly 40 percent (22-56) of their attempts from the field and over 30 percent (7-23) from distance. The Golden Grizzlies also handily won the battle on the glass, 43-27, with senior Breanne Beatty, freshman Cam Grant and van Schaik recording six apiece.

"I think we've rebounded the ball well all year, I think the effort's been good all year," Tungate said. "I just think we made some key plays when we needed to, made some stops when we needed to, and made some big shots when we needed to. I think that was the difference those last three quarters."

Over the last three games, van Schaik has tallied 52 points and 16 rebounds, serving as Oakland's leading scorer in two of those contests. These totals are made even more impressive when noted she has come off the bench each time, doing so after starting the first five games.

"For her, I think she needs to see the game first," Tungate shared. "It gives her a chance to see the flow of the game, see what's open, and we talked to her about that when we moved her to the bench, we want to get her in a position where she can see for a couple of minutes what's going on, get a feel for the flow of the game.

"I think she's such a smart player she overthinks things sometimes, so I think the start of the game, for her, was tough and coming off the bench just gives her a chance to come in knowing what's going on a little bit more."

Freshman Brooke Daniels and Beatty joined van Schaik in double figures Sunday, finishing with 10 and 12, respectively, while junior Amellia Bromenschenkel and senior Shayla Sellers paced the Mastodons with 15 each.

Sellers hit the day's second and final buzzer-beater, a 3-pointer at the end of the contest that made it a three-point final but was inconsequential on the outcome of the game.

RED SHOELACES FOR ROSEMARY "ROSE" AUSTIN
A tribute to Rosemary "Rose" Austin, a longtime supporter of Oakland women's basketball, every member of the team and coaching staff wore a rose-colored shoelace on their right foot Sunday.

Teaching mathematics in Utica Community Schools at Henry Ford II High School for 34 years, Austin passed at her Rochester Hills residence on November 23 at the age of 68.

A memorial service was held for Austin on Saturday, December 3 and she is survived by her husband, Bruce.

She had a passion for running, backpacking and playing golf, but more than anything, she loved what she was born to do – teach.

UP NEXT
Completing a stretch of seven-straight games away from the O'rena, the Golden Grizzlies are off until Saturday, December 17 when they will head to Oxford to battle the Mid-American Conference's (MAC) Miami (Ohio) RedHawks at 5:30 p.m.