Rivalry day resulted in one victory for the Golden Grizzlies this past Saturday as the women’s basketball team dominated the Milwaukee Panthers 89-56.  

The game opened conference play for the girls after going 6-7 in preseason play.

Nola Anderson set a new career high with 23 points.

 “You knew with her it was just a matter of time,” said head coach Jeff Tungate after the game. “She’s playing at a level that we all knew was there and it was just a matter of time until it came out. The best time to have it show is definitely during conference time.”

The Panthers battled to stay in the game for much of the first half.

 With four and a half minutes left in the first half, Oakland forward Sinclair Russell drained a jump shot to put the Golden Grizzlies up 30-20.  

The team only extended on that lead for the rest of the game and Anderson made a half court shot at the buzzer to send them fired up into the locker room at halftime.

It only got uglier for the panthers from there as several Oakland players lit up on offense in the second half as well.

Olivia Nash matched Anderson with 23 points while Sinclair Russell and Elena Popkey each tallied 15 and 16 respectively.  

“I thought our decision-making today was very good, we played off of each other very well,” said Tungate. “Our offense was aggressive and that’s something we’ve seen spurts of throughout the year and hopefully we can continue to play at this level offensively.”

Sinclair Russell was a force at the boards leading the floor with 15 rebounds, a personal best for her career.

“She struggled the last couple games and to have her bounce back and play the way she did tonight really shows her heart and character,” Tungate said.

The team chemistry on the court was obvious. “Its fun to watch a team that jells the way we’re jelling.” Tungate said.

The team plays game two of Horizon League play on Thursday when the Golden Grizzlies travel to Valparaiso to take on the crusaders.

 “We got some time to prepare and some time to get ready,” Tungate said.  “We need to be ready to go and I know we will.”