On Saturday, January 10, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies women’s basketball team secured a commanding victory over the Milwaukee Panthers, snapping a five-game losing streak in the process.
The win comes as Oakland’s fifth on the season and second in conference play. It also lifts the Golden Grizzlies from the bottom of the Horizon League standings to ninth place ahead of Detroit Mercy and IU Indianapolis.
Makenzie Luehring and Filippa Goula led the Golden Grizzlies in scoring, with each player contributing 17 points. Luehring had a versatile showing in this matchup, also leading Oakland in rebounding with nine boards and assists with four.
The Panthers were led in scoring by Kendall Barnes, who put up 10 points off the bench to go along with four rebounds. Madison Fitzgibbon also had a decent showing, scoring seven points while dishing out two assists.
The Golden Grizzlies got on the scoreboard first, taking advantage of a five-on-four situation as Filippa Goula knocked down a wide-open corner three. Moments later, Luehring converted a three of her own, followed by another three-pointer from Goula to give Oakland an early 9-0 lead.
Despite Oakland’s hot start, Milwaukee battled back throughout the first, at one point taking a one-point lead with a layup courtesy of Fitzgibbon.
However, the Golden Grizzlies finished the first just as they started it, as a Luehring three jumpstarted a 9-0 Oakland run to give the Golden Grizzlies a 20-12 advantage to end the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Golden Grizzlies continued to have their way with the Panthers. Oakland’s up-tempo style of play led to multiple open looks from the paint and from deep, as the Golden Grizzlies’ lead continued to blossom.
On both sides of the court, the Panthers struggled to keep pace with the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland’s ability to shift on defense with speed led to a lot of poor looks for Milwaukee, who also had difficulty with its defensive rotations. Heading into halftime, Oakland led 36-18.
At the break, Oakland’s high tempo was apparent from the stands, with the Golden Grizzlies shooting 45.5% (15-for-33) from the field and 46.2% (6-for-13) from beyond the arc. In comparison, the Panthers made 28% (7-for-25) of their attempts from the field and 30% (3-for-10) of their looks from deep.
The third quarter saw the Golden Grizzlies continue to keep the tempo, as Lianna Baxter got into the mix with a deep three early into the quarter. On the other side of the court, the Panthers continued to struggle offensively, with the team’s first bucket coming three minutes after the quarter’s start.
With the third coming to a close, Oakland put an exclamation mark on the quarter with an 8-0 run to close things out, highlighted by a three from Jasmine Dupree-Hebert. Although Tierney Madigan put an end to the Golden Grizzlies’ run with a free throw in the quarter’s closing moments, Oakland held a large 52-27 lead.
The Panthers started to show some life on offense to start the fourth quarter, primarily by attacking Oakland on the interior with quick baseline cuts. Those early bursts of movement gave Milwaukee a brief spark, as the Panthers slowly cut into the Oakland lead.
Milwaukee’s improvements on offense didn’t deter the Golden Grizzlies, however, who kept pace with the Panthers down to the final buzzer, playing a more patient offense. All-in-all, it was a complete win for Oakland, who came away on top in this matchup, 66-45.
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will start a three-game stretch of road games, starting with the Detroit Mercy Titans on Sunday, January 18. With the Titans below the Golden Grizzlies in the Horizon League standings and on a five-game losing streak, Oakland will look to further improve their outlook on the season.
Takeaways
This win felt like a breath of fresh air for the Golden Grizzlies, who have no doubt struggled to start the season.
In many of Oakland’s games this season, the Golden Grizzlies came out sort of flat to get things started in the first quarter. And although the team would find its rhythm later in the game, the deficits to make up proved to be too challenging for this Oakland squad, leading to many early losses.
However, the energy the Golden Grizzlies brought in this matchup makes them look like an entirely different team. Oakland didn’t just put together three competitive quarters of basketball in this game; they dominated in nearly every quarter, only getting outscored in the fourth quarter, 18-14.
If Oakland can keep up the tempo the rest of the season, they have a chance to be late risers in the Horizon League standings. Additionally, the Golden Grizzlies could look to improve on their record from last season.
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