Photo courtesy of Golden Grizzlies

The women’s basketball team fell to the Cleveland State Vikings on Thursday, Feb. 15, with a final score of 78-63.

While the Golden Grizzlies had a strong start, thanks to Linda van Schaik’s opening performance with five points, Oakland had an early 7-5 edge. After some runs made by the Vikings, they had shown that they had regrouped and found themselves executing their offensive strategies, which resulted in a 7-0 run that was sparked by Mickayla Perdue as they took an 18-12 lead to end the first quarter.

The Golden Grizzlies came into the second quarter with renewed energy, though, credited to Markyia McCormick’s hot shooting that leveled the score at 24 with under seven minutes remaining to go.

Cleveland State eventually halted Oakland’s offense, and they then began to pick up their pace, and everything seemed to fall again for them, including a buzzer-beater shot by Cleveland State guard Colbi Maples that swung momentum into their favor as they headed into the halftime break with a 38-29 advantage.

As the third quarter commenced, the Vikings’ Sara Guerreiro made her presence felt with a triple that further extended their lead. However, Brooke Quarles-Daniels responded swiftly with a nice jumper in the paint, narrowing the deficit.

Then a long-range shot by van Schaik kept them within striking distance. Yet again, Perdue continued to add to the stat sheet, as she led their charge with 24 points. Miriam Ibezim and McCormick fought valiantly in the pain, but Cleveland State had countered their offensive efforts.

The fourth quarter saw the Grizzlies remain determined to stage a comeback, refusing to back down. Maddy Skorupski knocked down a crucial jumper, trimming Cleveland State’s lead.

Mickayla Perdue and Carmen Villalobos continued to produce and weren’t allowing any sort of comeback attempt. Despite a late run by Quarles-Daniels, along with Alexis Johnson getting in on the mix, timely scoring and defensive stops made by Cleveland State resulted in them continuing to maintain their lead as Oakland came up short, 78-63.

The Vikings dominated in transition, and that gave them the higher field goal percentage of 50.9 percent to 35.9 percent, as well as the advantage in more fastbreak points, 36 to the Grizzlies seven. Despite Cleveland State’s offensive efficiency, the Golden Grizzlies managed a slight edge on the boards, outrebounding 36 to 35.

Linda van Schaik led all Oakland scorers with an impressive 18 points. Her dynamic game kept them competitive throughout. Brooke Quarles-Daniels followed with 10 points of her own. McCormick had nine points, and Ibezim also chipped in eight.

What’s Next?

Looking ahead, the Golden Grizzlies will head to Wisconsin to face the Green Bay Phoenix. Scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m., Oakland aims to bounce back and regain momentum in the Horizon League standings.

With the regular season winding down and the conference tournament looming on the horizon, every game becomes increasingly crucial for Oakland as they seek to secure a favorable position for postseason play.

Oakland currently sits in ninth place in the league standings. However, the Golden Grizzlies are just 2.5 games back from Wright State, which currently is holding down fourth place in the conference.