Ann Arbor, Mich. - Oakland played in their second straight tough road Big Ten game on Tuesday, falling to Michigan at the Crisler Center.

Oakland started the game with some offensive woes, going 1-6 FG to start the game. A good sign came with their first bucket as Brooke Quarles-Daniels stepped into a midrange jumper with 7:22 left in the opening quarter, showing signs of a good start after a few rough shooting outings to start the season.

The Golden Grizzlies played their normal brand of swarming defense on the perimeter, but the size of Michigan made it hard for Oakland to close out their possessions with rebounds, as the Wolverines grabbed six offensive rebounds in the first quarter while scoring their first 10 points from inside the paint. 

Kianni Westbrook, one of Oakland's few healthy bigs, was tasked with the duty of battling with the Michigan front court and she was up to that task. After having a few layups rim out after nice post moves, Westbrook scored her first points after a good pump fake with 1:10 left in the first quarter. Westbrook played well vertically in the post, while deflecting several post entry passes.
Oakland's assertiveness never faded throughout the quarter as they drew fouls to get into the bonus. Quarles-Daniels drew contact and knocked down a pair of free throws to end the opening quarter, as Oakland trailed 25-6 going into the second quarter. Quarles-Daniels scored four of the Golden Grizzlies' six first quarter points.

To start the second frame, Oakland came out adjusted to the Michigan physicality. Oakland fought hard down low, making conscious efforts to box out. They're fight on the glass stunned Michigan, causing the Wolverines to commit a few loose ball fouls and once again put the Golden Grizzlies in the bonus with more than five minutes left to play in the second quarter.
Michigan still continued to use their size and length on defense, scoring 17 points off 12 first-half Oakland turnovers. With the clock winding down in the half, Michigan guard Lauren Hansen streaked down the court then stopped on a dime for a buzzer-beating jumpshot, extending Michigan's lead as Oakland trailed 16-43 going into the locker room.

Westbrook led all Golden Grizzlies with six points (3-7 FG) through the first 20 minutes, all coming on tough post buckets. Right behind Westbrook was Quarles-Daniels, who scored four points (1-2 FG) in the first half. Quarles-Daniels also faced a tough matchup in Preseason All-Big Ten guard Laila Phelia. The Oakland guard held Phelia to six points (3-8 FG) in the opening half, showing why she is the head of the Oakland point of attack defense.

Oakland found a bit of an offensive groove to start quarter number three, matching their point total from the first quarter (6) in just two minutes to start the second half. A second-chance layup from Van Schaik, a fastbreak layup from Quarles-Daniels, and a pair of points from the charity stripe from Westbrook began the early scoring action.

Alexis Johnson pitched in with a deep triple with 2:10 left in the third quarter for her first points of the game as Oakland continued their best scoring period, scoring 11 in the quarter. 
Despite Oakland picking up the offensive pace, Michigan was able to stay ahead with an efficient drive-and-dish offense. The Wolverines shot a red-hot 10-19 FG (.526 FG%) and 3-6 3FG (.500 3FG%) in the third quarter.

Maddy Skorupski let the ball fly in the final quarter for Oakland, scoring 5 points (2-4 FG) in the final frame. Michigan would use a 14-5 run in the final quarter to put the game away as the Golden Grizzlies fell 39-80 in Ann Arbor.

Michigan forward Camer Williams tallied a game-high 12 points and 12 rebounds, proving to be the size that eventually overpowered Oakland.

Quarles-Daniels finished with her best shooting night, efficiency wise, of the season, scoring 10 points (4-8 FG), grabbing six rebounds, and also a steal for the third straight game. Westbrook also notched 10 points on the night and showed an impressive array of ways to score in the post.

"I was proud how we competed until the very end and didn't quit," said Oakland Head Coach Jeff Tungate about his team. "In the second half we did a much better job. They (Oaklan) battled and showed a lot of character and that's a great sign…We've got time to get better, and now we'll have three straight home games and 
I think it'll be great to get back home".

Oakland gears up for their home opener as they host Cleary at the OU Credit Union O'rena this Friday at 7 p.m.



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