The Golden Grizzlies women’s basketball team lost to the Northern Kentucky Norse 61-58 on Saturday, marking Oakland’s eighth consecutive loss to close out the regular season.
Macy Smith led the Golden Grizzlies in scoring, dropping 17 points while snagging three rebounds. Madison Royal-Davis had a standout performance, posting a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. Royal-Davis also disrupted the Norse on defense all evening, finishing the game with four steals and three blocks.
Macey Blevins led the way for the Norse with 15 points, while Abby Wolterman recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The first quarter started closely contested, as both teams walled up on defense. Through the first seven minutes of play, Oakland and Northern Kentucky each got a taste of the lead, but both teams were separated by just one possession the entire stretch.
In the final three minutes of the quarter, a fastbreak lay-in from Northern Kentucky’s Kamora Morgan jumpstarted a 9-0 Norse run. With Northern Kentucky in control, Royal-Davis put an end to the bleeding with an and-one to end the quarter, leaving Oakland down five.
In the second quarter, Oakland struggled to find consistency on offense the entire period. Meanwhile, despite the Golden Grizzlies’ tough defense, the Norse pushed forward, extending their lead to 31-18 towards the end of the quarter.
With just six points added to Oakland’s score the entire quarter, Maddy Skorupski knocked down a jumper in the paint as the buzzer sounded for halftime, leaving the Golden Grizzlies with an 11-point deficit to make up.
Throughout most of the third quarter, Oakland kept pace with Northern Kentucky. At points, the Golden Grizzlies made some progress by cutting in the Norse lead, while at other times, Northern Kentucky further expanded its lead.
However, with a minute to go in the third, the Golden Grizzlies made headway and put together a 6-0 run, highlighted by a last-second shot from Dani Grim. Heading into the final quarter, Oakland still trailed the Norse, 45-37.
Just as Oakland gained momentum, the Norse responded at the beginning of the fourth quarter, going on a 6-0 run to expand their lead to 51-37.
Later in the fourth, a layup from Grim sparked a 12-0 Golden Grizzly run where all of Oakland’s offense came in the paint. With a chance to tie the game late in the fourth, Grim did just that, this time with a jumper down low.
However, the problem that put the Golden Grizzlies behind this game came back at the worst possible time, as Oakland’s offense sputtered down the stretch. In the final two minutes of the quarter, the only Oakland basket came in the form of a layup from Royal-Davis.
As a result, the Golden Grizzlies were forced to send Northern Kentucky to the line, where the Norse took a three-point lead. Skorupski got a last-second look from deep to tie the game but missed, leading to another loss for the Golden Grizzlies.
From the box score, Northern Kentucky’s ability to draw fouls, especially in the fourth quarter, sticks out. The Norse shot ten more free throws than the Golden Grizzlies, who only intentionally fouled the Norse twice down the stretch.
Postseason Outlook
Now that the regular season wrapped up for the Golden Grizzlies and all other teams in the Horizon League, Oakland finished its season 10th in the league standings. With a conference record of 6-14, the only team the Golden Grizzlies finished ahead of was the Milwaukee Panthers, who finished the season with a 5-15 conference record.
Oakland’s 10th-place finish means it will travel to Indianapolis on Tuesday, March 4, to play the IU Indy Jaguars in the first round of the Horizon League tournament. The Jaguars are a familiar foe for the Golden Grizzlies. Both teams played earlier this week, with IU Indy winning 80-65.