The Oakland University women’s basketball team welcomed Northern Kentucky to the O’rena on Friday, Jan. 13 for a Horizon League battle. The Golden Grizzlies put together a strong performance, coming away with a 74-67 win over the Norse.

Guard Brooke Quarles-Daniels put together a masterful outing in the win as the 5-foot-6 freshman finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds. It was a near-triple-double for Quarles-Daniels, who added seven assists to her fantastic night. 

The Golden Grizzlies came out with plenty of intensity as they jumped to an early 14-6 lead with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter. Quarles-Daniels and Breanne Beatty combined for nine of Oakland’s 16 first-quarter points.

Oakland maintained its lead throughout the entirety of the second quarter, keeping the Norse at least four points away for all 10 minutes. 

Not much changed in the third quarter, either. The Golden Grizzlies refused to loosen their grip on the lead, as Northern Kentucky struggled to come within a possession of Oakland. 

The Norse came within three points once and four points twice in the third quarter, but Oakland continued to respond as it stretched the lead to double figures on two separate occasions. 

Northern Kentucky’s offense was clicking in the second half, and it was scoring at a solid rate, but Oakland would not give up any ground. The Golden Grizzlies matched the Norse point for point in the third quarter, and they outscored the visiting Northern Kentucky squad by one in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

Along with Quarles-Daniels’ stellar showing, freshman forward Cam Grant added 13 points on 5-7 shooting in 24 minutes. Grant’s five field goals made was a career best.

Junior forward Alexis Johnson, a transfer from Marshall, was also in double-figures for the Golden Grizzlies with 12 points in 31 minutes. 

“I’m really proud of our team,” head coach Jeff Tungate said after the game. “I thought we did a really good job. I thought our defense in the first half was outstanding, and I thought our offense in the second half was pretty good. Now we’ve just got to get to where we get them both for an entire 40 minutes.”

Tungate was especially proud of the plays his team made in the closing minutes to hold off Northern Kentucky.

“We made plays when we needed to down the stretch,” Tungate said. “Cam Grant hit a huge 3. Linda Van Schaik hit a huge 3. I’m just really proud of the plays that were made when they needed to.”

Oakland will now set its sights on a rivalry matchup with Detroit Mercy on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at the famous Calihan Hall in Detroit. The Titans are struggling mightily so far this season, currently sitting at 3-13 overall and 1-6 in Horizon League play. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m. and it will air on ESPN+.