Rochester, Mich. - Oakland improves to 2-0 at home this season, wining by at least 60 points in their second straight game. Oakland picked up right where they left off against Cleary. Senior Alexis Johnson opened up the scoring on the night with a triple on the first Oakland possession. This started an immediate 13-2 run, stamped by a made free throw from senior Linda Van Schaik.

The Golden Grizzlies showed 94 feet of defensive pressure to start the game, flustering the Crusaders guards with a 2-2-1 full court press, leading to more than a few easy fastbreak buckets for Oakland in the opening quarter.
 
The Golden Grizzlies defense was elite in quarter number one, forcing eight turnovers and swatting four Madonna shots. Ending the quarter on a 10-2 run, Oakland took a sizable 33-10 lead going into the second frame. McCormick led all scorers to open, with nine points (6-6 FT) in the first ten minutes.

Oakland shot a scorching 10-17 FG (3-6 3FG) in the first quarter, a large result of those easy transition looks. Free throws became the theme of the second quarter for Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies shot 10 -11 from the charity stripe in the quarter, staying aggressive and drawing contact whenever possible.

Kianni Westbrook and Quarles-Daniels exploded in the second quarter, combining for 19 points to absolutely blow open Oakland's lead. Westbrook scored ten points in the second quarter, 14 in the first half. Her dominance in the post was major, showing top tier footwork and decision making on the block. Quarles-Daniels, who notched nine in the second quarter, ended the first half with 14 points. Her speed and quickness on both ends resulted in a flurry of layups. A 13-2 run, stamped by free throws from Quarles-Daniels, gave Oakland a 35-point lead (47-12) with 6:02 left in the second quarter.

The Golden Grizzlies would outscore the Crusaders 19-11 for the final six minutes of the half, a last-second transition layup from Quarles-Daniels stamped Oakland's pair of 33 point quarters, giving them a 66-23 lead headed into the half.

Oakland also had two other double-digit scorers in the first half alone. Alexis Johnson scored 14 points (5-7 FG), including four threes (4-5 3FG), in the opening quarter. McCormick also pitched in 11 points in the first half, going a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line.

Oakland opened up the second half continuing their scoring tear. Five straight points from Van Schaik, followed by a Johnson layup, capitalized a 7-0 Oakland burst to open the half to increase their lead to 49 points (73-24).

Van Schaik scored 11 points in the third quarter, as her offense pushed Oakland even further ahead. Oakland turned to their bench for production in the third quarter as Montue, Eva Pardo-Campillo, and Maddy Skorupski led the charge for Oakland, combining for 15 points in the quarter.

Eva Pardo-Campillo saw her first extended minutes of the season, knocking in a pair of threes in the third quarter (2-2 3FG), including a buzzer-beating triple to end the quarter, giving Oakland a comfortable 102-28 lead going into the final quarter.

Oakland's bench unit continued to run the show in the final quarter, outscoring Madonna 20-10 in the fourth quarter, cruising to a 122-38 victory.

The Golden Grizzlies starting five all reached double-digit points, with Johnson ending the contest in front with 16 points (6-9 FG). 

Oakland's bench outscored Madonna's 55-19 in the game, showing the depth of this Oakland team. Skorupski led in second unit scoring, filling up the stat sheet with 13 points (4-7 FG), seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Montue also pitched in 11 points (4-6 FG) to go along with three steals and six rebounds. 

This win serves as the first for Acting Head Coach Deanna Richard, who steps into the lead position amid the medical absence of Coach Tungate.

"It was awesome. It was a fantastic game for us to get to know how I am as an Acting Head Coach and how they react to me," said Acting Head Coach Deanna Richard. "I'm excited, but now it's time to get down to the grind with a league game on Thursday."

With their huge victory, a sneaky-big storyline for Oakland was the return of senior forward Miriam Ibezim. After missing three straight games, Ibezim returned to the lineup to reintroduce some much needed size to the lineup.

Ibezim finished with seven points (5-6 FT) and four rebounds in just ten minutes of play, adding another layer to Oakland's post play. 
"With Miriam and Kianni, we now have a tag team down there. We couldn't ask for a better duo. It'll give Kianni a good rest period, and vice versa for Miriam. We have a strong inside and post game and I don't think there's a better duo in the league," said Richard.

Oakland improves to 3-2 on the season, and looks to keep their win streak rolling as they host Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday, Nov. 30 in their first Horizon League showdown.



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