Despite a great performance from lead guard Maddy Skorupski, the Oakland University women’s basketball team fell at home against St. Thomas (Minnesota) 73-62 on Thursday, Nov. 21.
The game was an excellent chance for the team to get back in the win column after consecutive losses to Michigan and Army. The Golden Grizzlies needed this win against the Tommies to get back on track.
Offensively, the first quarter went great, with OU hanging 19 on St. Thomas. Sereniti Roberts-Adams got Oakland going with two quick layups early in the quarter. The Golden Grizzlies jumped out to an early 17-8 lead with 2:33 left in the period but fouls soon started to rear their ugly heads.
St. Thomas made six free throws in the first quarter, keeping them afloat with 14 points to Oakland’s 19 by the end of the frame. OU would need to do a much better job guarding without fouling for the rest of the game.
Madison Royal-Davis set the tone in the second quarter with a steal and run-out layup, followed by a Skorupski offensive rebound and putback foul. She would hit one of two free throws to take an eight-point lead.
After some more back and forth, Skorupski got to the rim for another layup, and Royal-Davis cashed in on another steal and layup. A quick 5-0 run from the Tommies was silenced by a Skorupski three, assisted by Royal-Davis.
Senior Dani Grim’s layup capped off a great first half for Oakland, putting them up 31-24 after 20 minutes of action. One of the biggest notes in the half was the rebounding discrepancy for Oakland; the Tommies grabbed 13 offensive rebounds just in the opening half. OU would have to clean up on the defensive glass to finish the game.
St. Thomas took its first lead in the game since the 8:10 mark in the second half. A Jo Langbehn layup at 4:57 gave St. Thomas a 38-37 lead, which they would open up to a 45-37 lead just two minutes later. Amber Scalia from the Tommies began asserting herself; the guard scored 9 points in the quarter.
OU couldn’t string together enough stops in the quarter to climb back into it. The team cut the lead to six with 40 seconds left, courtesy of a Lianna Baxter layup, but St. Thomas hit two free throws to go back up 51-43. Turnovers were killer in the third quarter, and the Golden Grizzlies committed six in the frame.
Macy Smith made sure the Grizzlies wouldn’t go quietly. She splashed home a three after an Oakland steal, but the defense turned right around and fouled, sending Langbehn to the line to hit two free throws. The 6’2” center was an issue for OU all night, scoring 22 points with eight rebounds and three steals.
Skorupski started taking over the game, hitting two free throws, a three, a jumper and another free throw. Despite her dominance, the defense could not get stops. The Golden Grizzlies cut the lead to four points with under five minutes to go, but Scalia brought the game back out of reach with three consecutive buckets for the Tommies. She ballooned the lead back to 11 points at 69-58 with a minute left.
It became a free throw game from then on, and St. Thomas wasn’t missing. They closed out the win and finished with a 73-62 victory on the road.
It was a disappointing loss for the Golden Grizzlies, one that saw them leading for nearly the entire first half. The team will next travel to Daytona Beach to participate in the Coast 2 Coast classic, starting with Richmond on Friday, Nov. 29.