DAYTON, Oh. - In a game where Oakland led for a total of 0ver 30 minutes, and trailed for just four, the Golden Grizzlies fell to the Wright State Raiders 61-57, in a closely contested league matchup to open conference play for the season. 

The first quarter began with Oakland taking an early lead as Cali Denson drained a 3-pointer at 9:07, setting the bar for what would be another impressive performance for her as she scored in double figures for the fifth game this season. Oakland continued to find success from beyond the arc, with Filippa Goula adding another 3-pointer shortly after. Despite leading 12-7, Oakland saw their advantage diminish as the Raiders closed the quarter on a 7-0 run, capped by a jumper from Claire Henson. The quarter still concluded with Oakland holding a slight edge, 14-12 in a tight battle.

Oakland seized momentum in the second quarter, opening the frame with an emphatic 10-2 run, capped off by back-to-back threes from Goula and Gold as the Golden Grizzlies led 22-17 with 4:54 left in the quarter.

The lead would balloon to its largest of the half, as Denson drained her second three of the night to give Oakland a 25-19 lead just minutes later.

Oakland's defense was in top form in the second, holding the Raiders to just eight points, and scoring 16 of their own, as the Golden Grizzlies led 28–22 at halftime. In the second quarter, Oakland shot a blazing 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, locking in a 6-for-12 shooting performance from three for the entire half as a team.

Both Baxter and Gold led all scorers with seven points each after the first twenty minutes, combining for two blocks and seven rebounds as well as the two made plays all over the court.

The Golden Grizzlies held their first half lead also in large part to their defense, which held the Raiders to just 9-for-29 (.310) shooting from the field.

Despite a 9-2 run by the Raiders to open the half, tying the game at 31 apiece with 7:13 left in the third, Oakland quickly swung the momentum back in their favor with a 12-3 run of their own as Makenzie Luehring swiveled through the lane for a reverse layup to give the Golden Grizzlies a 45-37 lead with 1:31 remaining in the quarter. Denson would tack on another triple with six seconds left in the frame, as a part of Oakland's efficient 8-for-13 shooting quarter, as Oakland led 49-41 headed into the final quarter.

Oakland faced a challenging fourth quarter as the Raiders turned the tide with a critical 10-0 run, flipping the script to give Wright State a 53-51 lead with just under four minutes left to play.

Baxter would nail a triple and a post hook to give Oakland the lead back momentarily at 56-55 with 2:14 left, but the Raiders hit tough shots down the stretch, including a dagger three by Abbie Riddle to put Wright State up 56-60 with 20 seconds left.

The Golden Grizzlies earned one last chance after nailing a flagrant foul technical free throw after the Riddle shot. Denson found herself with a sliver of space on a sidelines out of bounds play, and saw her game-tying triple attempt rim out with 1.7 seconds left, sealing the Wright State win.

Lianna Baxter led Oakland with 18 points, achieving a career-high and converting 7 of 10 field goals, also a career-high, and adding seven rebounds. Denson contributed 14 points, including three 3-pointers, while also registering two rebounds, knocking down three or more triples for the fourth time this season.

Gold had a strong defensive presence, blocking three shots and collecting seven total rebounds. Goula added 11 points and was active on defense with three steals and three assists.

The Golden Grizzlies kept pace, and actually surpassed the top three point shooting squad in the conference, nailing eight threes in the game, their fourth most in a single game this season.

Oakland gears up for their conference home opener this Saturday, Dec. 6, as they host Cleveland State at 12 p.m.