Oakland's Balanced Effort Leads to Statement Win
Defense Sets the Tone
The Golden Grizzlies showed their mettle right from the start, applying intense zone defense that forced Wright State into a pair of early turnovers. With ball pressure and deflections aplenty, the Raiders struggled to get good looks, shooting 0-8 from the field in the opening minutes. Oakland, too, had a cold start, going 2-9 (.222 FG%) from the floor. But as the game progressed, both teams found their offensive rhythm. Lianna Baxter's left wing triple and Dani Grim's strong layup gave Oakland a 11-8 lead with 2:38 left in the first quarter. Wright State's Rylee Sagester then drained back-to-back threes to take the lead 18-15 at the end of the first quarter.Oakland bounced back in the second quarter, going 7-16 (.438 FG%) from the field. Baxter scored seven quick points to re-take the lead 22-19. The defense continued to be a force, with Grim and Madison Royal-Davis at the top of the zone causing three turnovers in the first half of the second quarter. This led to a 7-2 run and a 29-23 lead for Oakland. Skorupski heated up, scoring seven points including a deep three-pointer, taking the lead to 14 at 38-24 with 1:09 left in the half. A 15-1 run at the end of the half put them ahead 39-24 at halftime. The defense held Wright State to just 2-15 (.133 FG%) in the second quarter and 8-31 (.258 FG%) overall, while forcing nine turnovers.
Offensive Explosiveness
Sereniti Robers-Adams shouldered the offensive load early, scoring four points as Oakland led 4-2. Skorupski was a key contributor, reaching 11 points on 4-8 (.500 FG) in the first half and ending with a game-high 21 points (7-of-20 FG) on the night. Baxter added 14 points (5-of-8 FG) and five rebounds. Smith also had a big game, adding 16 points on 3-5 shooting from three point range.The Golden Grizzlies played a complete game, tying their season-high in field goal percentage at.483 from the field and shooting a season-best.412 (7-of-17 3FG) from deep. They held the Raiders to just.381 (24-of-63 FG) on the game, limiting the team's top two scorers, Macie Taylor and Amaya Staton, to a combined 11 points. Sagester had a season-high 17 points on 5-11 shooting from three.
Second Half Comebacks and Resilience
In the third quarter, Wright State found signs of life, using full court pressure to jump out to a 13-3 run and cut the lead to seven points at 44-51 with 2:16 left. But Smith drained her second triple to stop the Raiders' sprint and extend the Oakland lead back to double-digits. The Raiders scored 23 points in the third, their most in a quarter thus far, shooting 10-16 from the field (.625 FG%).Jazzy Dupree-Hebert continued to make an impact, tallying three offensive rebounds and scoring a big and-one layup with 7:25 left to extend Oakland's lead back to double digits at 63-53. The Raiders made one last comeback effort as Sagester drained a triple with 1:27 left to cut the lead to single digits at 67-76, but Oakland held on for a 84-70 win.
The Golden Grizzlies earned their statement win and now look ahead to their next opponent, Robert Morris, as they travel to Moon Twp., Pa. on Dec. 18.