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Oakland Closes Out Conference Play with Pre-Holiday Game Against Miami (OH)

Rochester, Mich. - After a hard-fought loss to Toledo on Dec. 17, Oakland turns around and is ready to lace up against Miami (OH) this Thursday in their last non-conference game of the season.

Even in their losses, it seems like Oakland is taking positive strides towards becoming a complete team, specifically on offense.

Something that maligned Oakland often until this point in the season, were slow offensive starts to games, often falling behind early and relying on late game heroics to keep them in the game. Against Toledo, Oakland had a much better offensive first quarter than their opposition. The Golden Grizzlies shot 6-16 from the field compared to Toledo's 4-14. The biggest differentiator came from hot three-point shooting, where Oakland went 4-7 from beyond in the first quarter while locking the Rockets down from deep, as they went 0-5 on 3FG in the entire first half.

With the lead or from behind, Oakland is becoming one of the best fourth quarter scoring teams in the conference. Oakland has a fourth quarter scoring margin of 30 this season, outsourcing opponents a combined 189 to 159 in the final quarter of play.

Oakland put together three strong offensive quarters, and outside of a rough third quarter, the Golden Grizzlies had a very good offensive game even while not forcing their usual amount of turnovers by the opponent, especially in the second half where Toledo slowed the pace and had eight turnovers, compared to the 15 they had in the first half after being shocked by Oakland's defensive intensity.

The more Oakland's offense can succeed in their half-court offense, the more explosive they will become when their defense plays at their usual top-of-the-line marks.

Oakland's suffocating defense has become their full-fledged identity. The Golden Grizzlies still managed to force 23 Toledo turnovers, just one short of their average opponent turnovers per game (24.1). Oakland only tallied nine steals, but it is their ability to speed up the decision making of opposing players, forcing bad passes or out of control drives to the basket, resulting in dead ball turnovers that still benefit Oakland. 

Even if the stats show that steals are the mainstay of the Oakland defense, their ability to create rushed, low quality possessions that may not result in turnovers is just as crucial.

Coming into the matchup against Miami (OH), Oakland has both recent and historical success against the Redhawks.

The Golden Grizzlies are 2-1 against MAC opponents this season, beating Akron in the season opener (11/6/23) and Central Michigan in a 20-point comeback at home (12/9/23). Oakland is 2-1 all-time against Miami (OH), having most recently won in Ohio 82-74 last season (12/17/23). In that game, Alexis Johnson scored a career-high 25 points on 10-19 FG (.526). Quarles-Daniels also filled up the stat sheet with 13 points (4-9 FG) to go along with two steals, five assists, and four rebounds.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS

Miami comes into Rochester with a 1-7 record on the season, currently holding a four-game losing streak. In their latest game, the Redhawks lost to Michigan 49-75 (12/16).

The Redhawks sole win this season came against Xavier (12/7) where they eeked out a one-point overtime win at home, thanks to a game-winning layup by Amber Tretter with seven seconds left to play.

Graduate Student forward Jadyn Scott has been the lead scorer for Miami, averaging 13.6 points per game while shooting over 50% (.553) from the floor.

The Redhawks are not a high-profile three point shooting team, only shooting .277 3FG% (31-112 3FG). They are a heavy paint-scoring team, and with five players listed at 6'1 or taller, Miami has the size to challenge Oakland in the post, something that has hurt them on several occasions thus far.

Catch Oakland's final non-conference game of the season, and their last before the holidays this Thursday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. at the OU Credit Union O'rena.

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Players Mentioned

Alexis Johnson

#23 Alexis Johnson

F
5' 10"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Alexis Johnson

#23 Alexis Johnson

5' 10"
Junior
F