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UNLEASH THE GRIZZ

Oakland University Athletics

Scoreboard

Liana baxter
70
Wright St. WSU 2-7,0-2 Horizon
84
Winner Oakland Oak 3-6,1-0 Horizon
Wright St. WSU
2-7,0-2 Horizon
70
Final
84
Oakland Oak
3-6,1-0 Horizon
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Wright St. WSU 18 6 23 23 70
Oakland Oak 15 24 19 26 84

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Jordan Nelson

Women's Basketball Rolls Through Raiders for First League Win

ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies started Horizon League play on a loud note, dominating Wright State at home in a balanced effort on both end of the court.

Oakland started the game off strong on defense, as their zone caused a pair of Raiders turnovers early, forcing Wright State to use all 30 seconds of the shot clock as the Golden Grizzlies applied ball pressure and deflections.

Sereniti Robers-Adams shouldered the offensive load to start, scoring four points as Oakland led 4-2 with just over five minutes left to play.

With the defense swarming, Wright State started the game 0-8 from the field, struggling to get any good looks.

Oakland exhibited a cold start as well, going 2-9 (.222 FG%) from the floor to start as the teams shot a combined 3-18 (.167 FG%) as they were tied 4-4 going into the first media timeout.

The teams would go back-and-forth as they gained offensive rhythm, but Oakland would score on consecutive possessions as Lianna Baxter stepped into the game, drilling a left wing triple, and Dani Grim got into the scoring column with a strong layup to put Oakland up 11-8 with 2:38 left in the opening frame.

Wright State's Rylee Sagester would drain back-to-back threes in the quarter's final 40 seconds, catapulting the Raiders into the lead 18-15 at the end of the first quarter.

Oakland was able to bounce back from a rough shooting start, going 7-16 (.438 FG%) from the field.

Baxter continued to make a huge impact as she started the second quarter for the Golden Grizzlies, scoring seven quick points as Oakland retook the lead 22-19.

The Golden Grizzlies defense continued to battle, spearheaded by Grim and Madison Royal-Davis at the top of the zone, pestering the Wright State ball handlers as they committed three turnovers in the first half of the second quarter.

The defense gave Oakland enough time to spark a 7-2 run, finished off by a Maddy Skorupski as Oakland held their largest lead of the game at 29-23.

The Golden Grizzlies continued to pile up the points as Skorupski heated up, scoring seven points, including a deep three pointer as Oakland's lead grew to 14 to lead 38-24 with 1:09 left in the half.

A 15-1 run to close the half by Oakland would put them ahead 39-24 at halftime. 

The Oakland defense stymied the Raiders offense all half, forcing them to shoot just 2-15 (.133 FG%) in the second quarter and 8-31 (.258 FG%) overall, while committing nine turnovers.

On the other side, the Golden Grizzlies shot a flaming 6-11 (.545 FG) in the second quarter, nailing both of the threes they attempted, as they outscored Wright State 24-6 in the frame.

Skorupski's nine second quarter points helped her reach 11 points on the half on 4-8 (.500 FG) to lead all scorers.

Baxter reached a tally of 10 points (3-of-5 FG) and four rebounds in the first half, extending her double-digit scoring streak to four games. Roberts-Adams also pitched in on offense, going a perfect 3-3 from the floor en route to seven first half points and four rebounds.

The momentum continued to build to start the second half for Oakland, as Skorupski made plays all over the court, scoring a tough stepback jumper, then playing the passing lanes for a steal leading to a fastbreak dime to Grim as Oakland forced a Wright State timeout as the lead neared 20 points at 45-26.

The Raiders finally found signs of life on offense as the third quarter progressed, largely caused by the full court pressure they were applying to the Golden Grizzlies, speeding up Oakland's ball handlers. 

Wright State used the defensive pressure to jump out to a 13-3 run, stamped by a layup by a Chloe Chard Peloquin layup as the Raiders trailed by just seven points at 44-51 with 2:16 left in the third quarter.

Smith drained her second triple of the night to stop the Wright State sprint and extend the Oakland lead back to double-digits with 1:54 left in the quarter.

The Raiders would score 23 points in the third, their most in a quarter thus far, shooting 10-16 from the field (.625 FG%) as they trailed 58-47 at the end of the period.

Jazzy Dupree-Hebert continued to affect the game in her minutes with hustle and tenacious play, tallying three offensive rebounds and scoring a big and-one layup with 7:25 left in the game to extend Oakland's lead back to double digits at 63-53 with 7:25 left.

The Raiders would make one last comeback effort as a Sagester triple with 1:27 left cut the Golden Grizzlies lead to single digits at 67-76, but it wasn't enough as Oakland emerged with a 84-70 win as they began conference play with a statement victory.

Skorupski ended her night with a game-high 21 points (7-of-20 FG) points, eight assists, and five rebounds, while Baxter added 14 points (5-of-8 FG) and five rebounds. Smith also added 16 points on 3-5 shooting from three point range.

The Golden Grizzlies played a complete game on both ends, tying their season-high in field goal percentage at .483 from the field, while shooting a season-best .412 (7-of-17 3FG) from deep.
They also held the Raiders to just .381 (24-of-63 FG) on the game, including holding the team's top two scorers, Macie Taylor and Amaya Staton, to a combined 11 points. Sagester did record a season-high 17 points on 5-11 shooting from three.

The Golden Grizzlies earned their statement win to open Horizon League play, and move on to their next opponent in Robert Morris as they travel to Moon Twp., Pa. on Dec. 18.
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