ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies returned to the Blacktop in a crucial first round matchup against Northern Kentucky.

The game started off with a very slow pace and physical tone, much expected for a win or go home situation.

Oakland's defense was keyed in on stopping #HLWBB Freshman of the Year Carter McCray as they started in a zone and made sure to chip and stay physical with her in the paint.

Newly named All-League Second Team and All-Defensive Team member Brooke Quarles-Daniels carried the offensive load early, hitting a jumper with 6:10 left in the quarter to tie the game at five. The sophomore guard scored all five of Oakland's points as the teams continued to battle early.

Kennedie Montue put her name in the scorebook as soon as she entered the game, draining a triple to put Oakland up 8-5 with 4:50 left to play. Cam Grant followed the very next position with a three of her own, moving the score to 11-7.

The Golden Grizzlies showed the Norse a heavy dose of double-teams in the paint, forcing NKU's bigs to playmake from the post, causing six Norse turnovers in the opening quarter.

The golden Grizzlies finished the quarter up 16-14. Quarles-Daniels scored seven points (3-3 FG) in the opening frame, shouldering the Oakland load on offense.

NKU came out in the second quarter looking sharper on offense, using a 7-0 run to take a 21-16 lead with 9:44 left in the opening half. Maddy Skorupski knocked down a wide open shot from deep to stop the run, putting Oakland down just two points (19-21) with 5:20 remaining.

After back-to-back triples by NKU gave them a 31-25 lead with 0:42 left, Linda Van Schaik hit a tough layup in the paint to pull Oakland closer, lowering the deficit as the Golden Grizzlies trailed 27-31 at halftime.

The Golden Grizzlies used their shooting from deep to stay in the game, going 5-of-11 (.455) from beyond the arc. The Golden Grizzlies snatched seven steals in the opening half, doing their best to deter the rough low post presence of NKU, as the Norse outrebounded Oakland 22 to 16 behind 10 first half rebounds from McCray.

The Norse started the second half on a 7-2 run, gaining a 38-31 lead with just over two minutes passed. 

The Golden Grizzlies buckled down, going on their own 9-2 run, with all points coming from Van Schaik as she pulled Oakland to within four points, score 46-42 with 2:26 left in the quarter.

Oakland held NKU scoreless over a near three minute stretch, but the Norse scored the final five points, all from Kailee Davis, as the Norse held on to a 53-44 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Oakland dominated the paint in the quarter, scoring 14 points down low to NKU's 10, while Van Schaik scored nine points in the frame, bringing her total to 11 on the game.

Oakland found themselves in a familiar position, with the score close in the final quarter. The Golden Grizzlies showed several times this year that they thrive under pressure and they would have to show it once more in this pivotal final 10 minutes.

Van Schaik started the quarter with two huge defensive plays, drawing charges on consecutive defensive possessions to get Oakland the ball. NKU would also have to go most of the quarter without their main guard, Khamari Mitchell-Steen as she picked up her fourth foul less than a minute into the period, while forward Macey Blevins also picked up her fourth foul early.

NKU still had center McCray in the fray, as she scored the first six points of the first quarter for the Norse. Skorupski continued to flow offensively, scoring five straight points of her own as Oakland continued to fight, trailing 53-59 with 5:02 left in the game.

The Norse continued to extend their lead, taking their largest lead of the game after a Kailee Davis layup put NKU up 10 (53-63) with 3:46 left to play.

Oakland turned up the pressure tenfold with the clock winding down as Skorupski upped her point total to 19, scoring back to back buckets, cutting the lead to just six points at 57-63 with 1:44 remaining.

With 0:49 seconds left on the clock, Blevins knocked down a catch-and-shoot corner triple for NKU, putting the Norse up 66-57. Quarles-Daniels quickly scored a bucket on the other end, keeping as much time available on the clock for an Oakland comeback.

Down 57-59, Skorupski drained her third three of the night with 0:19 left, moving Oakland closer with the score now 62-67.

Forced to foul in the final moments, the Golden Grizzlies final efforts fell just short, losing 70-62 to NKU, ending their season.

The teams played fairly evenly on offense throughout the game. Both teams hit 23 field goals, Oakland going 23-of-64 (.360) and NKU going 23-of-55 (.420). They also both hit seven threes, the Golden Grizzlies going 7-of-20 (.350) and the Norse going 7-of-23 (.300). The biggest differentiator was rebounds, where NKU snagged 44 rebounds to Oakland's 28. McCray grabbed a large portion of those, with 19 boards to go along with 24 points.

For Oakland, Skorupski gave it her all, scoring a career-high 22 points (7-11), draining three from deep (3-of-4). Quarles-Daniels added 15 points (7-of-16), 10 rebounds, and five assists, notching her second double-double of the season. And Van Schaik used a huge third quarter as she scored 11 points to pair with two steals in her final game of her collegiate career.

The Golden Grizzlies fought valiantly until the end, and showed tons of promising signs that this group is primed to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.

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