Women's Basketball Returns Home for League Play Opener

ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies return home for the first time in just over two weeks as they open up conference play against Wright State.

Oakland comes into the game after a pair of losses against tough opponents at the Daytona Beach Classic.

The Golden Grizzlies' schedule has been one of the toughest in the league thus far, as the combined record of the teams that have beaten Oakland is 36-6 coming into the week.

Even with a tough schedule, the Golden Grizzlies will get a better sneak peek into their future against Wright State on Friday.

Oakland has seen great performances from several places on the roster. Junior guard Maddy Skorupski has been the team's offensive engine, ranking fourth in the Horizon League in scoring with 15.8 points per game on over .400 shooting from the field. Her defense has also been on point so far, grabbing 3.8 steals per game, which is 11th in the nation.

Another junior has made a big impact on the squad as well, as center Lianna Baxter has been on a tear recently, scoring in double-digits in four of the last five games while shooting .500 from deep this season. She also has been a defensive anchor in the paint, tossing just over a block per game and has a total of nine blocks this season, both good for top five in the league.

The Golden Grizzlies and the Raiders will face for the first time since February, when Oakland pulled off a late-season 84-82 win over Wright State to help secure a home game in the Horizon League Championship.

Oakland has been favored in recent matchups, holding a 6-4 record in the last 10 meetings between the teams.

The Raiders come into the week 2-5 on the year, with a matchup looming against conference-leading Detroit Mercy on Dec. 4.

Offensive efficiency may be the key to the Golden Grizzlies and Raiders matchup, as both teams have a nearly identical shooting percentage, with Wright State holding a slim advantage, shooting .394 to Oakland's .386.

Oakland is 2-0 when shooting over .400 in a game, and Wright State has allowed four of their seven opponents thus far to shoot over .400 in a game so far this season.

Another early key to Oakland's wins has been free throw shooting. When the team is getting to the paint and drawing fouls, they not only manufacture more points, but they open shooting and driving space as a whole. In Oakland's pair of wins, they shot over 25 free throws in each, going 18-of-30 against Cleary (11/8) and 20-of-27 at Central Michigan (11/24).
The Raiders will be led by their trio of high scoring stars, as Claire Henson (12.1 ppg), Amaya Staton (11 ppg), and Macie Taylor (11.3 ppg) all average double-digit points per game. Staton also averages a league-best 8.9 rebounds per game and ranks third in blocks per game (1.3).

Catch the highly touted matchup between two up-and-coming teams on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at the OU Credit Union O'rena, also streamed on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

#40 Lianna Baxter: C; 6' 2"; Freshman

#2 Maddy Skorupski: G; 5' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#40 Lianna Baxter
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: C

#2 Maddy Skorupski
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G

Players Mentioned

#40 Lianna Baxter

#2 Maddy Skorupski

Players Mentioned

#40 Lianna Baxter

#2 Maddy Skorupski