Rochester, Mich. - Looking to keep their home record at just one loss in their first four games, Oakland battled a full 40 minutes against Central Michigan in a down-to-the-wire thriller.

The game started off uniquely, as Oakland was awarded two free throws before the tip-off, due to an administrative error to CMU's roster, resulting in a technical foul. Markyia McCormick stepped in for the free throws, giving Oakland a 2-0 lead before the game started.

With the game officially tipped-off, the Golden Grizzlies were unable to hold their lead for long as the Chippewas immediately went on a 14-2 run, stamped by a layup from Taylor Anderson with 4:45 left in the opening quarter, giving CMU a big 14-2 lead. Rochelle Norris scored four points, burrowing down in the post, while Tiana Tempe knocked down two threes during the Chippewas run.

Similar to their game against Detroit Mercy, Oakland came out the gates ice cold from the field, going 0-7 FG to start he game. Kennedie Montue was the one to get the lid off the basket for Oakland, knocking down back-to-back threes, closing the CMU lead to nine (14-5) with 4:22 left in the first quarter. Jasmine Dupree-Hebert followed suit with a three of her own shortly after.

Central Michigan seemed to match every Oakland point, closing out the quarter with a buzzer-beating fastbreak layup to take a 28-15 lead after the first ten minutes.

Oakland kept leaning on the three-ball to get them back in the game, as Markyia McCormick hit her first three, followed by two consecutive from beyond the arc by Linda Van Schaik, bringing Oakland a bit closer in the game, shaving the deficit down to 11 (24-35) with 7:37 left in the second quarter.

After starting the game relatively conservative on defense, Oakland showed their signature staple on defense in the second quarter with their full-court press zone defense. It began to have its usual effect, speeding up the Chippewa ball-handlers and creating turnovers as Oakland forced 11 turnovers and gained seven steals in the second quarter alone. 

Oakland still trailed by double-digits as the second quarter wore on, but Maddy Skorupski gained momentum towards Oakland with a four point swing after back-to-back steals which lead to a pair of free throws and a fastbreak layup, cutting the CMU lead to ten (38-28) with 3:32 left in the half.

Oakland was able to stay within striking distance, as a once 17-point lead by the Chippewas was down to 11, with a score of 34-45 going into the locker room.

It was a story of two quarters in the first half. Trying their best to dig themselves out of an early hole, Oakland outscored the Chippewas 19-17 in the second quarter. Despite this, CMU was having their way in the paint and within the half-court offense, outscoring Oakland 26 to six on points in the paint after the first 20 minutes, with CMU's Norris leading all first-half scorers with 13 points on a perfect 6-6 FG.

Van Schaik led all Oakland scorers with 11 first-half points (3-7 3FG), while Montue netted eight points (2-5 3FG). McCormick, the team's leading scorer, played the role of distributor in the first half, dropping a game-high four assists in the first two quarters.

The third quarter mirrored the first quarter for Oakland. The team shot 2-12 FG (.167) in the first five minutes of the second half, unable to match the efficient shooting of CMU, as they shot 5-7 (.714) in the first parts of the quarter.

Oakland at times gambled with their full court pressure on defense, as the long passes they were forcing turned into either steals or open layups for CMU behind the defense, while also at times putting The Golden Grizzlies in tough positions for rebounds, as CMU scored 18 second-chance points though the first three quarters.

Oakland stayed afloat as their offense once again was reignited, this time by Maddy Skorupski as she exploded for ten points in the third quarter, including a triple with 11 seconds left on the clock, to pull Oakland within 12 (53-65), going into the final quarter. 

Montue also continued her impressive game, reaching 13 points by the end of the third quarter.

With the game within reach in the final quarter, Oakland surged into the period with the urgency needed to win, starting an 8-0 run with a Montue three on their first possession, and capped off by a big corner three by Skorupski to pull Oakland within six points (61-67) with 8:17 left in the game.

Oakland continued their comeback, scoring another nine unanswered points as Skorupski knocked down her fourth three of the game to give Oakland their first lead since the tip-off, as the Golden Grizzlies led 70-69 with 5:31 left to play.

Oakland showed their usual ferocity on defense, playing fast yet under control in the final quarter, with another seven  of their game-total 18 steals coming in the fourth. Their defense paired with the 13 triples they knocked down during the game (13-39 3FG) compared to CMU's cold shooting from deep (6-20 3FG), were signs of good things to come for Oakland.

With the game closer than ever, teams traded buckets in the final two minutes, as Quarles-Daniels for Oakland and Karrington Gordon traded a pair of shots with just over two minutes left, tying the game at 74 heading into the final stretch.

Oakland held the lead 75-74 as the clock ran below 1:00 left, but Nadege Jean hit a free-throw line jumper to give CMU a 76-75 lead with 42 seconds left.

Now in the bonus after a loose ball foul by the Chippewas, Van Schaik knocked down a pair of free throws to swing the one-point lead back over to the Golden Grizzlies (77-76)  with 20 seconds remaining.

With the game being decided on the final possession, Oakland forced a tough triple by CMU's Timpe, causing a jump ball, which gave the Golden Grizzlies Possession, allowing them to close out a sensational 20-point comeback victory with a final score of 79-76 after a series of free throws from McCormick and Miriam Ibezim closed the door on CMU.

In their bounce-back victory, the Oakland bench shined. Skorupski took over the game and ended with a game-high 19 points (6-12 FG, 4-8 3FG) and four steals, while Montue had her best game of the season, scoring 16 points (6-15 FG) to go along with two points and two blocks..

"It's a phenomenal feeling knowing that we have sparks coming off the bench. They don't need to get into the groove of the game, they already know they must come out and attack and be the sparks we need. They certainly did that tonight for us," said Acting Head Coach Deanna Richard.

Van Schaik was the leading Oakland starter, finishing with 17 points (5-15 FG) and five rebounds.

The Golden Grizzlies, who came into the game ranked ninth in steals (12.9 SPG) look to move up the national ladder, as they secured 18 steals this game, while forcing 30 CMU turnovers, and scoring 23 points off those turnovers.

"Emotions are all over the place. Our players could have thrown in the towel halfway through that game, but I'm proud they didn't," said Richard. "They showed a lot of grit, perseverance, and integrity and they fought through it".

This was the kind of win Oakland needed after a two-game losing skid to start league play. Oakland now returns to a .500 record (4-4) as they have a week long break before hosting Toledo on Dec. 17, back on the Blacktop.



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