ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Golden Grizzlies continue the early section of their season as they look to get back into the win column with a pair of very winnable games this week.
THURSDAY, NOV. 21 vs ST. THOMAS (MN) | 4 PM | ESPN+
The Tommies and the Golden Grizzlies are slated to meet for the first time ever.
Oakland has only played one game at home this season, a 95-51 win over Cleary on Nov. 8. They look to stop their current two game skid in front of their home crowd.
In that game Macy Smith had her best career game with 23 points and six made threes. While Smith (11 ppg) and Maddy Skorupski (13.5 ppg) continue to lead the team in scoring, Dani Grim and Lianna Baxter have both played impressively in recent games, showing depth that may be a problem for St. Thomas.
Oakland has forced its last three opponents to 14 or more turnovers, showing that despite a pair of recent losses the Golden Grizzly defense can be disruptive. They have the potential to capitalize on this against a St. Thomas team that averages almost 14 turnovers per game.
Skorupski leads the way with 12 total steals on the season for Oakland, the most in the Horizon League.
The Tommies come into the matchup on a two-game losing skid as well after starting the season 3-0, most recently falling to Wichita State 64-69 on Nov. 16.
Senior center Jo Langhben is the team’s leading scorer with 17.6 ppg, along with 6.2 rpg. Guards Jade Hill (15.4 ppg) and Amber Scalia (10.4 ppg) also pose threats offensively on an experienced St. Thomas team with 11 upperclassmen.
SUNDAY, NOV. 24 @ CENTRAL MICHIGAN | 1 PM
The Golden Grizzlies and the Chippewas will meet for the 18th time, with the win tallies nearly split as Oakland has a 9-8 all-time record against CMU.
Last year’s contest between the two was an absolute thriller, with Oakland winning 79-76 on their home court behind a 20-point second half comeback from the Golden Grizzlies.
Oakland has won their previous three games against the Chippewas and havent lost in Mt. Pleasant since 2018.
CMU comes into the week 0-3 on the season, still searching for their first win. Struggling on offense to begin the year, they are shooting .224 from three thus far and commit nearly 21 turnovers per game.
Jess Lawson leads CMU in scoring at eight ppg on .462 shooting.
