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Women's Basketball Jordan Nelson

Golden Grizzlies Return Home for Metro Series Season Finale Against Detroit Mercy

Rochester, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies return to their home floor after a three-game road stretch as they host Detroit Mercy for game number two of this season's Metro Series rivalry.

In their last outing, Oakland played a near-perfect first three quarters against Purdue Fort Wayne, but the Mastodons pulled away in the final quarter to take a 79-59 lead over Oakland.

The Golden Grizzlies held the league leading team to just five made triples all night (5-of-17 3FG) while shooting .400 from deep in the second and fourth quarters of the game, going a combined 4-of-10 from three in the quarters combined. Oakland was just unable to keep PFW out of the paint, being outscored 50 to 24 in points in the paint.

Guard Markyia McCormick shined against the Mastodons for the second time this season. After scoring 26 in their first matchup, the Pickerington, Oh. native dropped a team-high 17 points (3-of-6 3FG) the second time around.Miriam Ibezim (10 points) and Brooke Quarles-Daniels (13 points) were the other two Golden Grizzlies to reach double figures.

Despite a loss, Oakland still was able to make PFW uncomfortable for the majority of the game with their all-out defense, forcing 16 turnovers and snagging 13 steals on the night, including nine combined steals between McCormick and Quarles-Daniels.

Oakland prepares for a tough stretch of games. They will host rivals Detroit Mercy, then follow with showdowns against Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Cleveland State who are all ranked in the top half of the league.

Oakland is familiar with Detroit Mercy, having faced-off with them previously on Dec. 3rd, where the Titans pulled away for a 66-55 victory. In the game McCormick scored a team-high 13 points, followed by Quarles-Daniels (12 points) and Linda Van Schaik (10 points).

The Golden Grizzlies still have nearly double the amount of wins as Detroit Mercy in their all-time head-to-head meetings. Oakland holds a 19-10 record against the Titans, having won 12 straight games against Detroit Mercy before their loss earlier this season. Oakland is 9-3 at home in the series and hasn't lost a home game to the Titans since January of 2017.

The previous match was a low scoring affair, and it could look to be another gritty game as both teams look to bounce back on their feet after losses on Thursday.

A low-scoring game may favor the Golden Grizzlies this time around, with their defense having found an identity since the early season matchup. The Golden Grizzlies have had more time to gel together as well, seeing as the early face-off was just Acting Coach Deanna Richard's third game at the helm this season.

With Richard and the team more comfortable in their roles, the Golden Grizzlies are working to fine tune their game. Oakland has had several good quarters throughout their recent stretch of games. In their victory over Robert Morris and the first three quarters against PFW they played complete complementary basketball, moving the ball around the perimeter, passing up good shots for great ones, and letting their defense create opportunities to run.

The Golden Grizzlies still rank third in points per game among all Horizon League teams (73.6 ppg). They could potentially have success limiting the scoring of Detroit Mercy, who rank last in triples made per game (5.0), especially after holding the number one ranked team in that category to nearly four less than their season average.

Another area to look out for will be on the boards. Both teams are atop the rebounding rankings in the league. Oakland is the number one offensive rebounding team, pulling down 14.5 offensive rebounds per game, while Detroit Mercy snags the most defensive rebounds per game (28.6) of any team. Team leading rebounders Ibezim (6.1 rpg) and Quarles-Daniels (6.9 rpg) will be as active as ever on the boards in this battle.

SCOUTING THE TITANS

Behind Head Coach Kate Achter Detroit Mercy has turned their program completely around. After finishing the 2022-23 season with a 5-25 record (3-17 HL), they now hold an 11-6 record (4-2 HL) and sit in fourth place in the league.

While their season largely already being a success and a show of improvement, the Titans have hit a rough patch recently. They have lost two of their last three games, including a 76-81 overtime loss to a bottom-of-the-league IUPUI team on Jan. 4 and a sizable loss to Cleveland State (53-74) on Jan. 10.

The head of the snake for the Titans this season has been forward Irene Murua, who averages team highs in points (12.6 ppg) and rebounds (8.2 rpg). She will be the main focus for the Oakland defense, as she scored a team-high 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 11 rebounds against Oakland earlier this season.

OU Alumni will be admitted into the game for free! Email eplichta@oakland.edu to RSVP.

Catch the finale of the in-state rivalry this Saturday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. at the OU Credit Union O'rena!

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Players Mentioned

Miriam Ibezim

#33 Miriam Ibezim

F
6' 2"
Sophomore
Brooke Quarles-Daniels

#5 Brooke Quarles-Daniels

PG
5' 7"
Freshman
Markyia McCormick

#10 Markyia McCormick

G
5' 6"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Miriam Ibezim

#33 Miriam Ibezim

6' 2"
Sophomore
F
Brooke Quarles-Daniels

#5 Brooke Quarles-Daniels

5' 7"
Freshman
PG
Markyia McCormick

#10 Markyia McCormick

5' 6"
Graduate Student
G