In a defensive battle that came down to execution late, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies women’s basketball team won a 64-61 nailbiter against the IU Indianapolis Jaguars from inside the OU Credit Union O’Rena on Wednesday.
The win brings Oakland’s record to 8-13 on the season, and 5-6 in Horizon League play. Looking at the conference standings, this was a crucial win for the Golden Grizzlies, who now directly jump the Jaguars in the standings for the seventh-place spot.
Makenzie Luehring led the Golden Grizzlies in scoring, finishing with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists. Angie Smith had a quietly solid game for Oakland as well, consistently making it to the free-throw line as she finished with 16 points and six rebounds.
“I’m so glad she’s seeing the fruit of her labor because she puts in a lot of work,” Oakland head coach Keisha Newell said about Luehring. “Her teammates want the ball in her hands, and I’m just glad she’s being more aggressive.”
For IU Indianapolis, Ariana Williams led the team in scoring off the bench with 12 points and was a threat defensively, finishing with two blocks and two steals. Hailey Smith was another effective Jaguar off the bench, putting up nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Sydney Bolden got things started for the Jaguars in this matchup, finding herself wide-open for three near the top of the key. Luehring responded on Oakland’s next possession, however, battling her way into the paint for a tough layup.
The rest of the first quarter was a half-court chess match, as both teams struggled to get consistent open looks, especially the Jaguars, who finished the quarter shooting a dreadful 26.3% (5-for-19) from the field. By the end of the quarter, both teams were tied, 15-15.
In the second quarter, much of the same remained from the first, as the Golden Grizzlies and the Jaguars refused to give up any easy baskets. The first bucket of the quarter came nearly three minutes in, as Williams converted an and-one make to put IU Indianapolis ahead.
Despite what was a slow quarter offensively for both teams, the Jaguars showed some spark near the end of the quarter, going on a short 5-0 run to give themselves their largest lead of the night at 29-24.
Moments later, Lianna Baxter put an end to the Jaguars run with a layup on Oakland’s final offensive possession of the quarter. Heading into the break, IU Indianapolis led the Golden Grizzlies, 29-26.
At the half, the tough defense seen throughout the game translated well in the box score, as the Golden Grizzlies shot just 37.5% (9-for-24) from the field, while the Jaguars shot 32.4% (11-for-34). From deep, Oakland shot at a 25% (2-for-8) rate, and IU Indianapolis made 23.5% (4-for-17) of their attempts from beyond the arc.
Defense was still the name of the game throughout the third quarter. Filippa Goula provided some offense with a layup early in the quarter, and Luehring kept the Golden Grizzlies afloat from the charity stripe, tying the game at 33 points apiece.
Although Oakland showed fight by tying the game up, IU Indianapolis’ Olivia Smith scored two tough layups on consecutive possessions to keep the Jaguars ahead towards the end of the quarter. Heading into the fourth quarter, IU Indianapolis still led, 41-39.
Come the fourth quarter, both teams finally started to find their rhythm on offense as Layla Gold and Goula both knocked down long three-pointers early in the quarter. Through the first three minutes of the fourth, Oakland already matched the amount of points the team put up in the entire previous quarter.
Following a technical foul committed by Kamara Mills, the Golden Grizzlies’ offense continued to roll, as Oakland took its first lead of the quarter. Following the technical foul, Oakland’s lead started to blossom thanks to multiple layups from Luehring.
With the fourth quarter coming down to the wire, and the Golden Grizzlies ahead by multiple possessions, the Jaguars were forced to foul down the stretch. With a chance to put the game away at the charity stripe, Oakland did just that, coming away on top 64-61, making the Golden Grizzlies 4-1 in their last five games.
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will remain at home to take on the Youngstown State Penguins on Saturday, January 31. With a tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. EST, the Penguins will prove to be a tough test for Oakland, as Youngstown State is ranked third in the Horizon League standings.
Takeaways
The Golden Grizzlies got off to a rough start in this one, but they really cleaned things up as this game went on, resulting in one of the team’s biggest wins of the season.
Many of Oakland’s early struggles in this game came from IU Indianapolis’s relentless ability to attack the boards, especially in the first quarter. The Golden Grizzlies were outrebounded 14-8 by the end of the first, with many of those extra Jaguar rebounds coming on the offensive glass.
As the game progressed, however, Oakland’s rebounding improved, especially when Sereneti Roberts-Adams was substituted in the game. IU Indianapolis struggled to keep her off the offensive glass, as Roberts-Adams finished with three offensive rebounds in just six minutes.
“That was no adjustment other than me screaming at halftime,” Newell said. “When it comes down to rebounding, it’s not about size, it’s just about heart, and they (IU Indianapolis) had it in the first half, and thankfully, we matched it, and I think surpassed theirs in the second half.”
Not only did the Golden Grizzlies improve on their rebounding throughout this matchup, but the team also showed they have an extra gear in the motor.
Oakland played just seven of their players in this matchup compared to IU Indianapolis, who played ten. Four different Golden Grizzlies played more than 30 minutes, while the Jaguars had just one player cross that mark.
With those facts, you’d think Oakland would be extremely tired in the fourth quarter, and a fresher IU Indianapolis squad would take advantage and come away with the win. Yet, the opposite happened.
“We ran a little bit more. They were fatigued, so we wanted to push in transition, but we could only do that with stops,” Newell said regarding the fourth quarter.
The Golden Grizzlies looked like the more energized team in the final quarter. Nine of Oakland’s 16 fastbreak points came in the fourth quarter, and the Golden Grizzlies outscored the Jaguars 16-6 in fastbreak points.
Oakland’s ability to respond in this matchup was the overall difference maker. If the Golden Grizzlies can continue to show that high motor throughout the rest of the season, they may have found the formula to further ascend the Horizon League standings.
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