Following a three-game road trip, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies women’s basketball team came up short to the Robert Morris Colonials in a home game stand at the OU Credit Union O’Rena on Thursday, losing 73-63.
Leading the way for the Golden Grizzlies was Maddy Skorupski, who, despite coming off the bench to start the match, played nearly every minute of the game, scoring a game-high 25 points while supplying a team-high four assists and seven steals.
In addition to Skorupski, Macy Smith was the only other Oakland player to reach double-figures in scoring, with Smith adding 13 points. Defensively, Madison Royal-Davis came up big for the Golden Grizzlies, notching two steals and a season-high four blocks.
The Colonials scored as a committee, with six players recording eight points or more. Still, Raissa Nsabua and Mya Murray led Robert Morris in scoring, with both logging 12 points while combining for 20 rebounds.
The first quarter was a battle for both teams, both physically and on the scoreboard. Neither Oakland nor Robert Morris could build a substantial lead, and all points came from the free-throw line or the paint.
With two seconds left in the first, Noa Givon knocked in her attempt at the charity stripe to give the Colonials their largest lead to that time of three points. However, Lianna Baxter knocked down a buzzer-beater three as time expired, tying the game at 17-17.
Despite Baxter’s efforts, Robert Morris came into the second quarter with a vengeance, going on an 8-2 run in the quarter’s first three minutes to establish a palpable lead over the Golden Grizzlies.
The Colonials dominated the rest of the quarter, regardless of Oakland’s pushback, which cut Robert Morris’s lead to five points. With the second winding down, the Colonials ballooned their lead to 42-28, backed by a three from Katelyn Chomko and a flurry of six made free throws.
In the third quarter, the Golden Grizzlies hung around with the Colonials most of the time. A refreshed Oakland offense kept its hopes of a comeback alive, but Robert Morris would not be denied.
Throughout the quarter, the Colonials knocked down three of their four three-point attempts. On Robert Morris’s second-to-last possession of the quarter, Isys Grady made contact with Kylie Buckley, converting a layup and drawing a foul, leading to another Colonial free-throw and a 58-42 lead heading into the final quarter.
As the fourth quarter got underway, Oakland refused to back down despite the large deficit. The Golden Grizzlies rallied on both sides, allowing just five Colonial points through the first five minutes of the quarter, creating many scoring opportunities.
However, Robert Morris hung on despite Oakland’s late push. Although Skorupski cut the lead to eight with a minute and some change remaining, the ship had sailed, resulting in the Golden Grizzlies’ fifth conference loss of the season.
From the box score, free throws were the difference maker in this matchup. Although the Golden Grizzlies shot at a similar rate to Robert Morris, the Colonials made it to the line 34 times. In comparison, Oakland made it to the line at less than half that rate, with 16 free throw attempts all game.
If Robert Morris had the same number of attempts as Oakland from the charity stripe this game while shooting at the same clip, the Golden Grizzlies would have come away with a five-point win instead of being on the end of a ten-point loss.
Next, the Golden Grizzlies will take on their rivals, the Detroit Mercy Titans, at home on Saturday, Feb. 1. Historically, Oakland has gotten the better of Detroit Mercy inside the OU Credit Union O’Rena, winning their last six matchups dating back to 2018.