Golden Grizzlies Lose at the Buzzer to Miami (OH) in OT Thriller

Rochester, Mich – The Golden Grizzlies played yet another down-to-the-wire game as they took Miami (OH) to overtime in a thriller of a matchup.

The game started out as a defensive slugfest, as teams traded tough, hard-nosed defensive possessions throughout the entire first quarter. Both teams made it hard to find open lanes for driving or open shots. Miami’s length seemed to cover the entire floor, while Oakland’s ball pressure sped up the Redhawks and often blew up their play calls. The teams shot a combined 7-33 FG in the first quarter, as Miami held the lead 9-8 entering the second quarter, hoping that the offense would trend upwards as the game progressed.

In the second quarter, the offense of Oakland began to find itself, as the ball began to flow more and shots began to fall, thanks to the instant offense from Maddy Skorupski. The sophomore from Clarkston, who’s offense has been the reason for multiple Oakland victories this year, flourished once again. With Oakland trailing 12-16 with 4:35 left in the first half, Skorupski scored the next seven Oakland points as the Golden Grizzlies sprung into the lead, and a 9-2 run in the closing minutes would move Oakland into the lead (25-22) at the end of the first half.

In the first 20 minutes, Oakland was able to overcome the somewhat large shooting efficiency gap, as Miami shot 10-26 FG (.385) while the Golden Grizzlies went 9-35 (.250). Still, Oakland was able to force 12 first-half turnovers, while taking care of the ball exceptionally well in the half, only committing six turnovers themselves.

Skorupski’s eight second-quarter points led the way for point totals on Oakland in the opening half, while Miami’s Amber Tretter was the only player to reach double digits, scoring 12 (6-10 FG) in the half.

Miami came out of the half looking re-energized, opening the half on a short 9-3 run, as a three-pointer by Lakresha Edwards regained the Miami lead (31-26) with 6:48 left to play in the third quarter.

Oakland would respond, this time behind the strong play of Brooke Quarles-Daniels. The sophomore guard scored nine of her 16 second half-points in the quarter, shooting a perfect 3-3 FG and a near-perfect 3-4 FT in the third. Quarles-Daniels, who is coming off a season-high scoring performance against Toledo (16 points), showed her offensive capabilities once again. Quarles-Daniels fought hard in the paint, matching the physicality of much larger players, while finishing through and over contact in the post and midrange.

Back-to-back buckets from Skorupski and Qualres-Daniels, both results of their own steals, pulled Oakland back to within a possession, trailing by just two points (41-43) headed into the final quarter.

Oakland was first to the punch in the final quarter, scoring the first six points of the period, four of them coming from Qualres-Daniels. As the quarter went on, both teams played with the hunger and hustle necessary to win. Trading buckets and swings of momentum, Oakland looked to be creating space and lining up for yet another home court victory. Skorupski hit a free throw to put Oakland up six (52-58) with just 27 seconds left on the clock. Down two possessions, Miami drilled back-to-back threes, including a wing three from Cori Lard to tie the game at 58 a piece with just 12 seconds left in regulation.

With a chance to end the game heroically, Oakland found Skorupski for a good three-point look, but it fell just short, sending the Golden Grizzlies into their second overtime period of the season.

Kianni Westbrook opened overtime with aggression, netting a steal and four points on consecutive crafty inside finishes as she tried to cap off an impressive individual performance with a win. Quarles-Daniels continued her best efforts to push Oakland towards a win, hitting a clutch midrange jumpshot with 1:37 left to put Oakland up 64-60. Just as they did earlier in the game, Miami clapped back, and scored a quick six unanswered points to take a 66-64 lead as Maddy Huhn hit a big free throw. 

With 14 seconds left, Skorupski forced a Miami turnover, and sped down the court for a jumper to tie the game at 66. Down to the last possession, with double overtime just one stop away for Oakland, Miami’s Jada Scott drove baseline and stopped on a dime for a midrange jumper that found the bottom of the net with .07 seconds left on the clock, burying Oakland and winning the game for Miami with a final score of 66-68. Scott ended the game with 12 points (4-14 FG) and nine rebounds.

This game was draining for Oakland, both physically and mentally, but the fight and effort never faded from a team that hasn’t shown any signs of quit through any of the adversity they’ve faced all season.

“They (Oakland) always show the grit that everybody comes to see… We have to have better habits, and that will show in games that are tight like this and make it a little bit easier for us,” said Oakland Acting Head Coach Deanna Richard.

Quarles-Daniels led Oakland in the scoring column, setting a new season-high with 22 points (9-17 FG), three steals, and six rebounds in her usual all-around impactful performance. Skorupski ended with 15 points (5-10 FG) and three assists, showing once again that her ability to score almost at will is going to keep Oakland in many games this year. Westbrook, who finished with 10 points (4-4 FG), three blocks, and two steals in just 18 minutes, had one of her most impressive nights of the season. Her active hands on defense made life hard for the Redhawks, while her length and mobility matched up well with the frontcourt of Miami.

Oakland now officially enters conference play, where they hope to start with a clean slate and use their talented roster to make a big postseason push.

“We want to win a championship and we can still do that. We have two losses in league play but we can still bounce back from that,” said Richard. “We have to focus on the details and the little things that make great teams great. We strive for excellence, and if we fall and we are great, then so be it”.

Oakland takes a week-long break for the holidays, before bouncing back at home again to take on Northern Kentucky to open league play of Friday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.

 

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