On Monday, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies women’s basketball team (1-0, 0-0 Horizon) opened its season in dominating fashion, defeating the Cleary Cougars at the OU Credit Union O’Rena with a final score of 104-32.
The Argentinian freshman duo of Milagros Morell and Alessia Reale led the Golden Grizzlies in scoring, with Morell posting 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks and Reale finishing with 20 points along with a pair of steals.
“It was great; they aren’t scared of the bright lights,” Oakland head coach Keisha Newell said of Morell and Reale. “It was so cool just to see their teammates cheer them on.”
Beyond Morell and Reale, three other Golden Grizzlies scored in double figures, including Rochester Christian transfer Samone Andrews and familiar faces from last year’s team, Makenzie Luehring and Angie Smith.
For the Cougars, Reese Williams topped the team in scoring, finishing with 11 points and two rebounds. Maddux Locke also had a solid showing, recording a team-high seven rebounds and four assists.
Oakland struck first against the Cougars by way of a Luehring and-one layup. With the Golden Grizzlies ahead, Cleary responded with back-to-back threes courtesy of Reese Williams to give the Cougars their first lead of the game.
Cleary kept its early lead for a solid portion of the first quarter—however, the Golden Grizzlies went on an explosive offensive run led by Alessia Reale to close out the frame, outscoring the Cougars 21-3 in the final five minutes of the quarter.
In the second quarter, Oakland didn’t lose its step on offense, as the Golden Grizzlies used their size and speed to beat the Cougars on the interior. Additionally, despite the hot start from Cleary in the first, the Cougars struggled to capture that same magic into the second quarter.
With the Cougars struggling on offense, Oakland started to balloon their lead, playing unselfish basketball as five of Oakland’s eight made field goals came off of an assist. Heading into halftime, Oakland led Cleary, 52-19, holding the Cougars to just five points in the second.
At the break, Oakland held the advantage shooting from the field, making 51.4% (19-for-37) of their attempts compared to Cleary, who shot at just a 25% (7-for-28) rate. From deep, the Cougars made 36.4% (4-for-11) of their looks, edging out the Golden Grizzlies, who converted 30.8% (4-for-13) of their threes. Off the glass, the Golden Grizzlies held a stout 24-15 advantage.
Throughout the second half, the Golden Grizzlies’ lead continued to grow to a point where the outcome was all but decided. With their comfortable lead, Oakland rolled out nearly their entire rotation—13 of 14 Oakland players saw playing time, with the only player not touching the court being Lianna Baxter.
Despite the large Oakland lead, the Golden Grizzlies never took their foot off the pedal, highlighted by a mid-range jumper from Karinna Trotter, pushing Oakland’s total points over the century mark while putting an exclamation mark on the victory.
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will look to build off their first win of the season, as they hit the road to take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Thursday, November 5.
Takeaways
Nearly a year ago, when Oakland kicked off their season against Cleary in Coach Newell’s inaugural season, it was readily apparent that a new, improved era of Golden Grizzlies basketball was underway.
Now in year two under Coach Newell, this Golden Grizzlies team, once again, already looks elevated and more fluid, largely due to the returning players from last year’s roster and their growth in chemistry as a team.
“We talked about being sure of themselves,” Newell said. “We try to explain that to them every day: just trust the process. We talk about we over me, so we hope that we continue to play unselfishly, because we’re gonna hit some adversity.”
Time and again, the Golden Grizzlies found their teammates in their favorable spots. Take, for example, Smith, who loves to hang down by the block in the paint, or Luehring, who never passes up an open three from the wing. When Oakland’s ball movement was at its best, they were delivering the ball exactly where their teammates wanted it.
Additionally, taking into account the main points Coach Newell drove home over the offseason, particularly how much depth this roster has and how competitive they are, those two things were made readily apparent in the season opener.
Rather than relying on individual efforts to score, there were the aforementioned five players who scored in double figures. 12 of 14 players on the Oakland roster contributed points.
“I love the humility behind all of it,” Newell said. “I think everyone was cheering each other on and wanting their teammates to succeed. The more depth you have, the more we can protect bodies and make it through a season healthy. I’m excited to see how it all plays out.”
As for competitiveness, that aspect was well on display throughout the entire second half. At any moment, the Golden Grizzlies could have taken a back seat with their large lead, but that was not the case, evidenced by their best defensive quarter in the third, where they held the Cougars to just four points, and their best offensive quarter in the fourth, where Oakland poured in 29 points.
“We saw that fire, for sure. I really do think Alessia and Millie set the tone just in their aggressiveness to start the game,” Newell said. “They are competitors—they want to win.”
With a season-opening victory under their belts, the Golden Grizzlies will now have the opportunity to see how those strengths translate against tougher opponents. The remaining 10 non-conference games this season will feature nine games against Division I opponents.
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