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Women's Basketball Jordan Nelson

Golden Grizzlies Hope to Initiate Late-Season Surge as they Head to Green Bay

ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies prepare for their final four regular season games, preparing for a highly anticipated rematch against Green Bay.

Oakland is fresh off a loss to Cleveland State on Thursday, Feb. 15 where the Golden Grizzlies played the current number one seed close, humming on offense and defense for all but one quarter. 

Linda Van Schaik had her highest scoring affair since the season opener for Oakland, scoring 18 points and knocking in four triples (4-of-7) over the course of the game.

With a week to prepare for the Phoenix, the Golden Grizzlies have their sights set on another upset and a season series sweep of the second place team. Back on Jan. 20, Oakland defeated Green Bay 83-81 on the Blacktop behind a career-high 27 points (11-of-14) from Brooke Quarles-Daniels, breaking a string of six straight losses to Green Bay The Oakland victory knocked the Phoenix out of first place, where they have yet to retake the number one spot.

The Golden Grizzlies are an all-time 6-16 against the Phoenix, but Oakland isn't too concerned with the history of the matchup, knowing they can compete with any team in the league behind the third-highest scoring offense and the best rebounding and turnover-forcing defense in the Horizon League.

Currently sitting one game behind Northern Kentucky for the eighth seed, a win would be huge for Oakland's chances of securing a home game in the first round of the Horizon League Championship Tournament as the six, seven, and eight seeds benefit from first-round home games.

High-stakes situations have seemed to benefit the Golden Grizzlies this season, having won five of their six games that have been decided by six or fewer points, including a pair of game-winning buckets on the season, including one from Quarles-Daniels to seal the victory over Green Bay earlier this season.

Green Bay's lack of experience in tight games may be an advantage for the Golden Grizzlies. In their last matchup, Oakland's pressure and intensity stunned the Phoenix, putting them behind and in a position that they haven't been in often this season when trailing. Having only lost one game since their loss to the Golden Grizzlies, Green Bay will be in for another tough battle on Thursday.

If there's a team that is capable of overpowering Green Bay's top scoring defense, it is Oakland's top three offense. The teams are in many ways opposites. Oakland attacks via volume, having attempted the fifth most field goals in the league (1542) and averaging 6.9 made triples per game on 535 total attempts, while the Phoenix focus on efficiency, holding a league-high .480 field goal percentage and a .344 three point percentage.

As Shown by their stats, Green Bay prefers to attack on the perimeter, while Oakland uses their physicality to mix things up in the paint. The Golden Grizzlies are one of the best at drawing fouls, ranking second in the league in free throws made (376) and attempted (558) while Green Bay is towards the bottom of the league in free throw numbers.

SCOUTING THE PHOENIX

Green Bay heads into the game on a four game win streak, most recently beating Youngstown State 71-59 on Saturday, Feb. 18. Coming into the matchup against the Golden Grizzlies, the Phoenix are a perfect 11-0 at home this season, joining Cleveland State as the only teams to not record a loss at home thus far.

Still chasing the number one seed, they sit just behind Cleveland State for the top spot as the Vikings own the tiebreaker over the Phoenix, largely due to Oakland's clutch victory over them in January.

Green Bay is led by Natalie McNeal and Maddy Schreiber, who both rank in the top 11 in points per game in the conference. The Phoenix are a team with few gaps in their roster, with no true number one option and five players averaging over eight points per game, they are one of the hardest teams in the country to stop when on a roll.

Two teams with opposing styles in a big-time late-season matchup is shaping up to be a top-tier game. The Golden Grizzlies and the Phoenix face off on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. at the Kress Center in Green Bay, Wis.

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Players Mentioned

Brooke Quarles-Daniels

#5 Brooke Quarles-Daniels

PG
5' 7"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Brooke Quarles-Daniels

#5 Brooke Quarles-Daniels

5' 7"
Freshman
PG