The Oakland women’s basketball team lost their in-conference home opener 84-66 to the Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) Mastodons on Thursday, Nov. 30, at the OU Credit Union O’rena.
The loss snaps a two-game winning streak the team had built up in their previous matchups against Cleary University and Madonna University.
Markyia McCormick led the Grizzlies in scoring with a season-high 26 points while dishing out three assists. McCormick finished the game as efficiently as ever, converting nine of her 16 shot attempts from the field. Notably, 12 of the 16 shot attempts came from deep.
Linda Van Schaik and Brooke Quarles-Daniels also had solid performances for the Grizzlies. Van Schaik contributed 12 points, four rebounds and a block, while Quarles-Daniels added seven points, 10 rebounds, six assists and a steal.
The first quarter was a battle, as both teams traded blows. PFW held the lead for the majority of the quarter before OU brought the pressure on the defense, setting up a full-court press that stifled the Mastodons on offense.
With PFW’s offense at a standstill, the Grizzlies closed out the quarter on a 6-2 run highlighted by Kennedie Montue’s final shot of the quarter, giving the Grizzlies a 16-15 lead heading into the second quarter. Remarkably, there were four lead changes and a tie in the first.
In the second quarter, both teams continued to compete intensely. The Mastodons took the lead back from the Grizzlies in the first ten seconds of the quarter. However, the Grizzly press defense continued to cause issues for the PFW.
Minutes later, Alexis Johnson converted a layup to give OU their third lead of the night. Although the Mastodons snatched the lead back, the Grizzlies went on an 8-0 run, giving them their largest lead of the night at 31-24.
However, the Mastodons slowly battled back in the rest of the second and stuck to their strengths, converting at the three-point line. Despite leading the game by seven at one point, OU went into halftime trailing 41-38.
The third quarter was the beginning of the end for the Grizzlies. With less aggression on defense and a stagnant offense, OU converted only two of their nine-shot attempts in the first five minutes of the quarter, while PFW was able to convert three of their four-shot attempts from deep.
Following a media timeout, the Mastodons continued to build upon their lead. At the end of the quarter, the Mastodons converted an unbelievable 72.7% of their shots, boosting their lead to 64-50 over the Grizzlies. In comparison, OU converted just 27.8% of their shot attempts.
Heading into the fourth down big, the Grizzlies found themselves in foul trouble, and while the team kept pace with PFW, the Mastodons continued to find new ways on offense to surprise the Grizzlies.
In the fourth, the Mastodons made it to the free throw line a game-high 12 times and buried eight of their attempts, and with Johnson, Kianni Westbrook and Miriam Ibezim fouling out in the fourth, the game concluded in a loss for OU.
Notably, the Mastodons’ bench outscored the Grizzlies’ bench 28-12. Additionally, PFW cashed in on 14 second-chance points compared to OU’s seven points.
The three-point shooting performance further underscored PFW’s offensive prowess, with a team total three-point percentage of 53.8%, outshining OU’s 32%. These three disparities were the catalysts for the OU loss.
Up next, the Grizzlies will face off against the Xavier Musketeers on the road on Thursday, Dec. 7, before hosting the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the OU Credit Union O’rena.
