DETROIT, Mich. – Their fourth win in their last five games, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies built up a 22-point halftime lead and defeated the Detroit Mercy Titans, 81-66, on Wednesday, January 18 at Calihan Hall.
Matching a season-long three-game win streak, the Golden Grizzlies move to 10-8 and 5-4 in Horizon League play, good for sole possession of fifth in the conference standings.
On the flip side, Detroit Mercy has now dropped three consecutive contests and is 3-15 and 1-8 in league action.
Oakland senior
Breanne Beatty tied a career-best with a game-high 21 points and five rebounds, including 3-3 from distance and 6-6 at the free throw line.
Freshman point guard
Brooke Quarles-Daniels tallied 17 points, junior forward
Alexis Johnson registered a double-double with 10 and 11 boards, and sophomores
Kennedie Montue and
Aaliyah McQueen also reached double figures, finishing with 10 and 13, respectively.
Shooting 5-9, McQueen's 13 points were her highest total of the season and she and Montue both had their productive nights coming off the bench. Fueled by these two, the Golden Grizzly reserves outscored the Titans, 28-11.
Junior forward Irene Murua paced Detroit Mercy with 13 points, followed by classmate Lucia Fleta Robles and freshman Amaya Burch, both of whom had 12, and Myonna Hooper, another freshman, with 10.
Oakland led by nine, 22-13, after 10 minutes of action and extended their margin with a second quarter that was 13 points in their favor to take a 22-point cushion, 49-27, into the halftime break.
Wednesday's 81-point showing was the Golden Grizzlies' best in a Horizon League game this season and their third-best in any contest, trailing only the 82 in the December 17 victory over the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks and the 83 in the November 27 triumph over the Stonehill Skyhawks in the TD Bank Classic.
The Titans won the rebounding battle by a single board, 45-44, and both teams recorded seven assists, but Oakland helped separate themselves by forcing Detroit Mercy into 22 turnovers and only committing 11.
With this win, the Golden Grizzlies are now doubling the Titans up in the all-time series, 18-9, and have won 11-straight meetings dating to January 27, 2018.
UP NEXT
Concluding their two-game road swing, Oakland will head to the IUPUI Gymnasium, affectionately referred to as The Jungle, to play the Jaguars on Sunday, January 22 at 2 p.m. on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Picking up an impressive road victory over the Youngstown State Penguins on Monday, January 16, IUPUI is 9-8 and in fourth place in the #HLWBB standings at 5-3.
