Despite a career night from freshman Makenzie Luehring, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies women’s basketball team suffered a gut-wrenching 72-69 Metro Series loss to the Detroit Mercy Titans on Saturday, February 7, inside the OU Credit Union O’Rena.
The loss marks Oakland’s third in a row, and shifts the team’s record to 8-16 on the season and 5-9 in conference play. Additionally, the loss moves Oakland down to eighth place in the Horizon League standings. Before this matchup, the Golden Grizzlies were tied for seventh place with IU Indianapolis.
“We could have been a little more disciplined on both ends of the floor,” head coach Keisha Newell said. “We kept giving up straight line drives and letting them attack the paint, so that opened up the perimeter for a couple of their shooters.”
The Golden Grizzlies were led by Luehring, who set a new career-high in points with 33. Sereniti Roberts-Adams also had a solid game, recording a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Kailee Davis led the Titans in scoring, putting up 20 points with 12 of those points coming from beyond the arc. Jasmine Edwards was also instrumental, scoring 11 points while snagging 14 rebounds for her sixth double-double on the season.
The start of the first quarter was a defensive battle for both teams as the Titans forced multiple Oakland turnovers, leading to Makayla Jackson getting on the scoreboard first with a transition layup. Luehring fired back, drilling a deep three to keep the Golden Grizzlies afloat.
With the quarter coming to a close, Luehring stayed hot from deep, finishing the quarter with three makes from deep. Additionally, the Oakland defense kept the pressure high, as the Golden Grizzlies led 13-8 at the end of the quarter.
Despite a great first quarter from Oakland, Detroit Mercy settled in offensively in the second quarter. The Titans scored the first six points of the quarter, highlighted by a three-pointer from Kailee Davis to take the lead.
The rest of the second was a gritty battle between the two teams, featuring multiple lead changes as Luehring remained the engine of the Oakland offense. Heading into the break, the Golden Grizzlies held a 30-29 lead.
At the half, the Golden Grizzlies shot at a 35% (9-for-26) clip from the field while the Titans converted 39% (12-for-31) of their looks. From deep, Oakland made 36% (4-for-11) of their attempts, and Detroit Mercy shot at a rate of 30% (3-for-10).
In the third quarter, both teams got off to fast starts on offense, constantly trading baskets and the lead. Through the first three minutes of the quarter, Detroit Mercy had already matched its point total from the first quarter with eight points.
As the third continued, however, the Titans started to build a formidable lead over the Golden Grizzlies, mainly thanks to Aaliyah McQueen, who put up eight points in the final three minutes of the quarter, putting Detroit Mercy up 54-46.
With the final quarter underway, the Golden Grizzlies quickly chipped away at the deficit to make this a more competitive game. With Lianna Baxter and Luehring leading the charge on offense, Luehring made it a one-possession game after splitting two attempts at the charity stripe.
Down the stretch, Oakland kept it close, but the Titans had an answer following each Golden Grizzly make, putting Detroit Mercy on top on Oakland’s home court for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will hit the road to take on the IU Indianapolis Jaguars on Wednesday, February 11. As far as the conference standings go, this will be a crucial game for Oakland as the season winds down.
Takeaways
Similar to their most recent loss to Northern Kentucky, this was another nail-biting loss for the Golden Grizzlies. Notably, Oakland has lost its last two games by a combined four points.
“Playing in close games is going to be our biggest learning point right now,” Newell said. “Whether we win them or lose them, we want to be prepared for the end of the season. This team is still bought in, they’re still believing, so we’re going to keep getting better.”
Oakland came out of the gates ready to play in this one. All-in-all, the defensive performance they put up in the first quarter was one of the strongest of the season.
Not only did the Golden Grizzlies hold the Titans to just eight points, but they played clean defense, fouling just once at the tail end of the quarter. Considering how short the rotation has been for Oakland, playing clean is an important thing to do to keep players out of foul trouble.
Another thing that went missing from the first quarter was Oakland’s attempts from the three-point line. The Golden Grizzlies shot more threes in the first quarter than they did in the remaining three quarters combined, with just one three-pointer attempted in the fourth quarter.
The lack of attempts from deep allowed the Titans to play a more conservative defense, which was a driving force behind their comeback.
Still, there are some positives to take away from this game.
Luehring continues to impress as the season starts to wind down. After setting another career-high in points, it also marks the fifth game in a row Luehring has put up 20 points or more.
Additionally, Luehring joins Karina Bystry as the only other player from the Horizon League to record more than 30 points this season. Remarkably, both players are freshmen.
This matchup also offered a strong look at what the duo of Baxter and Roberts-Adams can bring. Down the stretch, the Golden Grizzlies had multiple possessions leading to wide-open layups in the paint, as the Titans struggled to prioritize which player to focus on guarding down low.
As the season comes to a close, big performances from the supporting cast of this roster will be needed, as Angie Smith will miss the rest of the season due to an injury dating back to Oakland’s most recent loss to Youngstown State.
“I think Sereneti is playing better and better,” Newell said regarding Roberts-Adams. “She is buying into her role. I think she has a very high ceiling, so this is promising.”
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