Rochester, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies have their two-game win streak snapped at the hands of league foe Purdue Fort Wayne.

Oakland opened up the night with a triple from guard Markyia Mccormick, who had the hot hand from the start.

As the opening quarter progressed, the teams went blow-for-blow, matching nearly every point scored by the opposing team. With the momentum continuously swaying, Oakland would create just a little breathing room. In the final two minutes the Golden Grizzlies scored four unanswered points, capped off by a last second steal by Madison Royal-Davis that lead to a Kennedie Montue fastbreak layup, giving Oakland a 16-15 lead headed into the second quarter.

The second quarter held more of the same. While reigning #HLWBB Player of the Week Amellia Bromenschenkel started PFW's quarter with two quick jumpshots, Oakland was keeping the long range threat of the Mastodons at bay.

Brooke Quarles-Daniels was as aggressive as ever, manufacturing points from the free throw line, drawing fouls and forcing PFW to collapse their defense. Despite getting opportunities to get easy points at the line, Oakland wasn't able to convert efficiently, going 5-10 from the stripe in the second quarter.

Despite their free throw woes, McCormick stepped in and kicked off the Golden Grizzlies' second big run of the game. Starting with a triple from McCormick with 6:28 left in the quarter, Oakland went on a 10-0 run as a Kianni Westbrook layup gave Oakland their biggest lead of the night (7) to go up 31-24 with 5:13 left in the quarter. During the run, McCormick scored six of the ten points.

Almost immediately after, the Mastodons would retaliate with their own 8-0 run, as Ryin Ott rattled off five points in less than a minute to regain the lead (34-32) for the Mastodons with 2:44 left in the half.

PFW found their rhythm, and was able to eek out a good enough stretch to take a 41-38 lead into the third quarter.

McCormick led all Oakland scorers in the first half, tallying 13 points, while Linda Van Schaik scored six points.

With the game still up in the air, PFW came out and showed why they currently stand atop the Horizon League offensive and three-point shooting rankings. The Mastodons outscored Oakland 23-12 in the quarter, while having incredible efficiency. They shot 6-8 3FG (.750 3FG%) and 8-11 FG (.727 FG%). At the same time, Oakland went cold from the field, shooting just 5-18 FG (.277 FG%) in the quarter.

McCormick would score eight of her season-high 26 points in the third quarter, fighting to keep Oakland within reach. Miriam Ibezim also provided a nice low post presence in the third quarter, adding four points and a block in the quarter.

PFW's lights out shooting slowly opened a wide gap, and with a buzzer-beating triple by Audra Emmerson, the Mastodons exploded to a 64-50 lead as the game entered the final quarter.

As the game went on, the physicality picked up from both teams. Oakland was diving for every loose ball, playing with the desperation needed to make a comeback. Both teams put their bodies on the line, drawing charges and earning extra possessions for their team.

Along with the physicality, came foul trouble for Oakland. Westbrook, Alexis Johnson, and Ibezim all eventually fouled out in the game, while Van Schaik and Quarles-Daniels racked up four fouls in the contest, whittling down the depth of Oakland late in the game.

With the game in its final stages, the deficit was insurmountable for Oakland, as they suffered their first loss on their home court this season 84-66.

On  a rough shooting night overall for Oakland, McCormick had her best game of the season, scoring a season-high 26 points on six triples (6-12 3FG), also a season high. Van Schaik, who also saw fewer minutes due to foul trouble, still stacked up 12 points (4-9 FG) to go along with a block and four rebounds. Quarles-Daniels stuffed the stat sheet per usual, ranging from seven points, six assists, ten rebounds, and a steal. 

It just wasn't Oakland's night offensively, as they shot 22-60 FG (.367) and just 8-25 3FG (.320 3FG%). PFW only improved on their league-leading three-point percentage, going 14-26 from beyond (.538 3FG%), including 8-12 from deep in the second half.

"The biggest takeaway is that we don't need to reinvent the wheel after this. We need to fix the little things. We have to make sure we are locking down on defense and keeping our composure from the three-point line," said Oakland Acting Head Coach Deanna Richard. "We know what we have to do. We just have to bounce back and roll with the punches. If someone knocks us down we are going get back up. We're a tough and gritty team."

Oakland falls to 3-3 (0-1 HL) on the season. They play their second straight conference game on Sunday, Nov. 3 as they head into enemy territory to take on in-state Rival Detroit Mercy.



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