On Saturday, Oakland University women’s basketball completed the sweep against  Horizon League newcomers — Robert Morris University. The Golden Grizzlies won 84-77 where they shot 52% from the field and 47% from the 3-point range.

Oakland had five players score in the double digits: Kahlaijah Dean scored a total of 21 points, followed by Alona Blackwell with 14, Autumn Kissman with 12 and both Breanne Betty and Lamariyee Williams with 11.

The Golden Grizzlies dominated the paint —grabbing 35 rebounds compared to RMU’s 28. Kissman led the team with seven rebounds. Dominating the defensive end, the Grizzlies forced 15 turnovers throughout the game. The team took advantage of these turnovers, scoring 20 points off of those steals.

The Golden Grizzlies controlled the first three quarters of the game, as a couple runs put the team up 63-43 at the half. 

In a GrizzVision interview, Head Coach Jeff Tungate said  the Golden Grizzlies are looking good heading into the final parts of the season.

“It’s February now, and we have to start playing our best and peaking at the right time,” Tungate said. “The last couple of days we  shot the ball well and for three quarters we really [put] our best game together on both ends.”

Oakland’s non-starters tallied up seven of the team’s 25 points — helping solidify the lead Entering the 4th quarter, the  Grizzlies were up 69-50. 

The fourth quarter showed Oakland’s strength in the paint — where they scored eight of their 15 points.RMU didn’t quit though, going on a 14-3 run and cutting the lead down to six with about a minute left to play.

The Grizzlies held on and secured the game from the line with a couple of free throws, winning  84-77.

Despite a slower fourth quarter, the  Grizzlies have a lot to be proud of. They never trailed after taking a 20-16 lead in the first quarter and shot really well from three point range, scoring seven of the 15 shots from behind the arc. The Grizzlies were also dominant on the defensive side of the ball.

On top of a victory, head coach Jeff Tungate tallied his 100th win with the program. With four games left in the season, Tungate says the team is in a good position.

“We have to keep this momentum going, it’s hard to believe we only have four regular season games left,” Tungate said. “We just have to keep improving and keep getting better every day.”

The Golden Grizzlies are currently 7th in the Horizon League with a record of 10-9 overall record and a 10-6 conference record. 

This week, the team faces a road test as they take on the second ranked team in the conference, the Milwaukee Panthers. The two game series starts  Feb. 12 at 6 P.M. EST.