On Wednesday, February 18, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies women’s basketball team put an end to a five-game losing streak with a 71-64 upset win over the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on the road.
The win doesn’t move the Golden Grizzlies up the conference standings, but it gives them a slight cushion over Milwaukee and Detroit Mercy. Oakland is still just behind Wright State in ninth place.
Makenzie Luehring was instrumental for the Golden Grizzlies, nearly finishing the game with a triple-double with a stat line of 17 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. Lianna Baxter also came up big for the Golden Grizzlies, finishing with 10 points and 14 rebounds, marking her first double-double of the season.
The Mastodons were led by Lili Krasovec, who scored a team-high 14 points while snagging six rebounds. Lauren Lee finished just behind Krasovec in the box score with a performance of 13 points and six rebounds.
Oakland opened the game on a tear, using its size advantage to overwhelm Purdue Fort Wayne and build a double-digit lead. The early surge came entirely from Sereniti Roberts-Adams, Karinna Trotter and Baxter, three of Oakland’s four tallest players.
For the remainder of the quarter, the lead stayed intact with Layla Gold and Luehring getting into the scoring mix. Oakland closed the quarter with a tough defensive stand, as Trotter denied Hilary Offing in the paint, leaving the Golden Grizzlies ahead, 25-14.
At the start of the second quarter, Purdue Fort Wayne began to make up some ground, switching to a zone defense that forced Oakland turnovers. However, Filippa Goula and Jasmine Dupree-Hebert kept the Golden Grizzlies afloat, as each player connected from three on back-to-back Oakland possessions.
In the final stretch of the quarter, Jordan Reid and Offing led Purdue Fort Wayne on a 12-3 run, flipping the script for the first time all night. Gold wouldn’t let the Mastodons head into halftime with the lead, however, as she converted a last-second layup to tie things up 36-36.
At the break, the Golden Grizzlies shot at a 40% (12-for-30) clip from the field while the Mastodons made 53.3% (16-for-30) of their attempts. Oakland held the advantage from beyond the arc, converting at a rate of 33.3% (5-for-15) while Purdue Fort Wayne came up empty-handed, missing all six of their looks.
In the third quarter, both teams traded baskets to start things out. Still, the Golden Grizzlies found some momentum midway through the quarter with a quick 6-0 spurt thanks to Baxter and Luehring to keep Oakland ahead.
Purdue Fort Wayne didn’t back down the rest of the quarter, keeping within striking distance of Oakland with an and-one make from Alana Nelson. Although the Golden Grizzlies led at the end of the quarter, the Mastodons ended it on a high note, scoring the final four points of the frame to make it a one-possession game.
More back-and-forth action ensued at the start of the final quarter. With Purdue Fort Wayne battling to take back the lead, Oakland had an answer for every bucket, refusing to surrender its edge.
Down the stretch, Oakland played more physical on both ends of the court, attacking downhill and earning paint touches and trips to the charity stripe. With the Golden Grizzlies still in the driver’s seat in the game’s final moments, the visitors sealed the win at the free-throw line 71-64.
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will host the Robert Morris Colonials this upcoming Saturday, February 21, inside the OU Credit Union O’Rena. With a tip-off slated for 2 p.m., Oakland will look to earn the season sweep over the Colonials.
Takeaways
What a night and day look from the Golden Grizzlies in this matchup, who were desperate to put an end to their losing skid.
After being dealt a loss by Purdue Fort Wayne earlier this season, which was a 20-point defeat for Oakland on their home floor, the Golden Grizzlies marched into the Gates Sports Center to hand the Mastodons just their second home game loss of the season.
What stood out most in this matchup is how well the Golden Grizzlies adjusted, especially how they adjusted to what the Mastodons threw at them defensively.
After attacking the paint early in this game, Purdue Fort Wayne took away the easy looks that put the Golden Grizzlies ahead early. However, the Mastodon zone led to many wide-open looks from deep for Oakland, who took advantage.
Another thing the Golden Grizzlies succeeded in doing was taking away the three from Purdue Fort Wayne. Entering this contest, the Mastodons had made the second-most three-pointers in the conference. Oakland held them to just three makes, tied for the second-worst three-point performance the Mastodons have had against conference opponents this season.
Looking further into individual performances, Luehring continues to build a compelling case for Horizon League Freshman of the Year. This was one of her best performances to date, as she continues to develop as Oakland’s premier player.
Additionally, credit is due to Roberts-Adams as well. She finished with a career-high 16 points and was a difference-maker throughout this game. It will be interesting to see if she can keep things going as the season comes to a close.
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