ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Golden Grizzlies officially kick off the 2025-26 season with a pair of top-notch games, hosting Cleary for the annual Math Hoops game before traveling to Madison, Wis., to take on the Badgers in a Big Ten matchup.
Oakland had one exhibition game to tune up before the season, defeating Davenport at home on Oct. 28. Freshman Mackenzie Luehring shined with 17 points (6-for-10 FG), four assists, and two steals in her first action as a Golden Grizzly. She combined with
Filippa Goula (8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and
Angie Smith (11 points, 3 steals, 3 rebounds) for an impressive performance in what looks to be a dynamic guard rotation for Oakland.
Layla Gold did a bit of everything as well, nearing a double-double with nine points (4-for-4 FT) and nine rebounds.
In their first action together, Oakland looked most impressive playing in transition, scoring 20 fast-break points. The speed of their guards — and bigs like
Karinna Trotter and
Lianna Baxter — looks to be a key tool in the team's play style under Coach Keisha Newell.
MONDAY, NOV. 3 vs. CLEARY | 11 AM | ESPN+
The Golden Grizzlies open the season with a matchup against Cleary on the Blacktop.
Oakland has yet to lose to Cleary in two all-time meetings, winning the games by a combined 103 points. Last season, the Golden Grizzlies cruised to a 95-51 win behind 11 made triples and 16 steals, scoring 28 points in the second quarter in a balanced effort on both sides of the ball.
In that game, Oakland also set season highs in assists (21), rebounds (48), blocks (8), and field goals made (33).
Cleary has already begun its 2025-26 season, entering the week with an 0-2 record after losses to Spring Arbor and Saint Xavier. Through two games, the Cougars are shooting .396 from the field, averaging 59.5 points per game and .310 from deep.
Samantha Hoelscher leads the team in scoring, averaging 10 points per game through two outings.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 5 at WISCONSIN | 7:30 PM ET | B1G+
Oakland pivots to an early-season road test against the Badgers in what will be the teams' first-ever matchup.
Wisconsin went 13-17 (4-14 B1G) last season, struggling in a stacked Big Ten Conference. The Badgers ranked second-to-last in points per game (65.5) and third-from-the-bottom in rebounds (34.0 rpg) in the league.
They are led by returning top scorer Ronnie Porter, who averaged 8.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and a team-high 5.1 assists per game in 2024-25 — the third-most assists in the Big Ten.
Oakland gears up for the beginning of a new era under Coach Newell with a pair of high-octane Midwest matchups this week.
