ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Golden Grizzlies hit the road for another pair of away games, taking on the Illinois State Redbirds and the Michigan Wolverines in their final two non-conference games of the season.
Oakland is looking to break a three-game losing streak, most recently falling 59-56 to Loyola Chicago in a game decided in the final seconds. Despite the loss, the Golden Grizzlies have continued to establish a strong defensive identity. After forcing Cleveland State into 21 turnovers and recording 10 steals, Oakland swatted a season-high 10 shots against the Ramblers in the very next game.
Mackenzie Luhring and
Lianna Baxter have made positive impacts for the Golden Grizzlies, both scoring in double figures in two of the last three games as Oakland searches for its offensive stride. The Golden Grizzlies continue to look for additional shot creation outside of team-leading scorer
Cali Denson, who is averaging 12.2 points per game while shooting .400 from behind the arc.
Friday, Dec. 19 at Illinois State | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Illinois State and Oakland meet for the first time since 2018. In four all-time meetings, Oakland has won three games, though the Golden Grizzlies fell 62-56 in the most recent matchup in November 2018.
The Redbirds enter the game with a 5-6 record, most recently falling 85-44 to No. 24 Nebraska. Illinois State will look to keep its home record perfect, as it holds a 4-0 mark at CEFCU Arena.
Averaging 67 points per game, the Redbirds bring a high-scoring offense into the matchup against Oakland, which has scored 60 or more points four times this season.
Leading scorer Addison Martin (14.0 ppg) paces the Redbirds' offense, having scored in double figures in every contest this season. She ranks 11th in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring.
Sunday, Dec. 21 at No. 6 Michigan | 12 p.m. | B1G+
Oakland's final non-conference test will be a challenging one against the sixth-ranked Wolverines in an in-state matchup.
Michigan (9-1) enters the contest riding a five-game winning streak, with its only loss coming against top-ranked UConn. During the streak, the Wolverines have won each game by 25 points or more, most recently defeating Akron 89-85 on Dec. 13.
The Wolverines rank 12th nationally in field goal percentage (.507) and seventh in scoring offense (92.0 ppg).
With three players averaging at least 13 points per game: Olivia Olson (18.0), Syla Swords (13.7) and Mia Holloway (13.3), the Golden Grizzlies' defense will be put to the test.
Oakland has shown its ability to limit opposing offenses throughout the season, including holding Cleveland State's Colbi Maples to a season-low scoring performance and Loyola Chicago's leading scorer, Alex-Anne Bassette, to just four first-half points in the most recent outing.
