Game Notes vs. Butler 

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DETROIT -- The conference season is upon us as the Detroit women's basketball team opens Horizon League action on Thursday against Butler. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., at the Dick Vitale Court in historic Calihan Hall.
 
The Titans will begin the league slate riding a three-game winning streak as the red, white and blue rolled pass IPFW (90-60), defeated Eastern Michigan in overtime (70-69), and beat Western Michigan (73-64) on the road last week.
 
Overall, UDM is 4-8, but has played well since a slow start winning four of its last six games. One of the main catalysts for the recent hot play has been the emergence of sophomore Senee Shearer. The guard has tallied career highs in four-straight games with 15 at Michigan, 23 against IPFW and Eastern Michigan and 24 at Western Michigan. For her efforts against the Eagles and Broncos, she was named the Horizon League Player of the Week, the first time in her career she has taken home that honor.
 
Offensively, the Titans have been in full gear averaging 77.6 points in their last three games, scoring 70 or more in all three contests.
 
Butler enters the game at 4-7, but the Bulldogs have also won three in a row after dropping six straight. Freshman Haley Howard leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game, while senior Terra Burns is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg., but she has played in only five games due to injury.
 
Junior Yar Shayok has posted some good numbers against Butler, tallying double digits in scoring four times in six games, while grabbing six or more rebounds in every contest. She is averaging 10.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals and has recorded two double-doubles in her career against the Bulldogs.
 
Senior Jalesa Jones is averaging 8.7 ppg., 3.2 rpg., and 3.2 apg., in eight career against BU. She has been in double digits in scoring three times and also has three games with five or more assists. Her best game against Butler came as a sophomore when she tallied 17 points and seven assists in a 72-62 setback at home.
 
Tickets to the game are $6 for an adult and $4 for children and seniors. To order tickets or for more information, click here or contact the Detroit Titan Ticket Office at 313-993-1700.
 
Fans that can't make it to the game can follow all the action live on the Horizon League Network as well as with a live stats feed from SIDEARM Sports. Followers of the Titans on Twitter will also get live updates throughout the game.

Remember fans, come spend New Year's Eve with the Titans as all fans who attend Saturday's game against Valparaiso will get in FREE. Come cheer on Detroit in a Horizon League battle against the Crusaders, with tip-off scheduled for Noon.
 
THE DETROIT-BUTLER SERIES
Detroit leads the overall series, 32-27, but Butler has won 15 of the last 17 meetings. UDM actually ended a 12-game slide with a win at Hinkle Fieldhouse last season, but the Bulldogs were able to oust the Titans from the Horizon League Championship in the quarterfinals with a 64-38 win.

Detroit is 18-9 all-time against BU in the Motor City, but the Bulldogs have won the last seven meetings in Calihan Hall. The last Titan win at home was on Feb. 5, 2004, when the red, white and blue claimed a 55-49 decision.

The 59 career meetings are the second most for an opponent in Titan history behind the 64 games played between Jesuit rivals UDM and Loyola.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll and split their first two games before going on a six-game losing streak. Butler has recovered though and will open HL play in Calihan Hall having won three in a row. The three wins have all come at home with the Bulldogs downing Ball State, Marian and IUPUI.

Freshman Haley Howard leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game, while senior Terra Burns is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg., but she has played in only five games due to injury.

As a team, Butler is averaging 58.0 points per game, while allowing 59.6.

Butler has played four common opponents with the Titans losing on the road at IPFW (68-60), at Bowling Green (71-61) and at Indiana State (49-46), while defeating Ball State, 55-43.
  
SHEARER KEEPS ROLLING ALONG
Sophomore Senee Shearer has been a scoring machine in the last four games, posting career highs with 15 against Michigan and 23 in back-to-back games versus IPFW and Eastern Michigan before establishing a new career high with 24 her last time out against Western Michigan.

 Prior to these last three games, Shearer's only career double-digit game was a 13-point effort at IPFW last season, while her season high was just seven at UTSA.

In the last four games, Shearer is averaging 21.2 points on 27-of-57 from the field (47.3%), 16-of-38 from three (42.1%) and 15-of-17 from the free throw line (88.2%).

Prior to that, Shearer was 7-of-33 (21.2%) on the season and 0-of-14 from three.

Even deeper, through her first 35 collegiate games, she was just 26-of-114 (22.8%) from the field and 6-of-56 (10.7%) from behind the arc.
 
THREE STRAIGHT WITH 20+
Research is still being completed, but sophomore Senee Shearer is the first Titan in the last six years to post 20 or more points in three-straight games.

One more 20+ outing on the year will match Dominique Dixon's effort from last season, while she has some work to do if she wants to catch Brigid Mulroy's seven that she tallied during the 2009-10 campaign.
 
J TURNING IT ON
Senior Jalesa Jones has turned in it in the last six games, which is a big reason why the Titans are 4-2 during this stretch. Jones has recorded 28 assists in her last six games (4.6 apg.) - compared to 17 in her first six (2.8) – while posting a season-high of eight at Ball State.

She also has 31 rebounds in the last six games (5.0), up from 15 in her first six (2.5), including a career-best nine against Western Michigan.
 
GETTING TO THE LINE
After attempting just four free throws against Michigan on Dec. 8, the Titans have turned it around with 66 trips to the line in their last three games.

UDM was 10-of-14 against IPFW and posted a season high in makes (21) and attempts (32) in the overtime victory over Eastern Michigan. At WMU its last time out, the Titans connected on 80% from the charity stripe with a 16-of-20 effort.

On the year, Detroit is averaging 17.0 free throws per game, connecting on 71.1% (145).
  
LEAGUE HONORS FOR SHEARER
After posting her third-straight game with at least 23 points and leading the Titans to a pair of victories last week, sophomore Senee Shearer was honored by the Horizon League as the women's basketball Player of the Week, announced the conference office on Dec. 27.

The second-year guard continues to light up the scoreboard after tying her career best with 23 against Eastern Michigan and coming up with a new career high of 24 at Western Michigan. She was 7-of-15 from the field – with four 3-pointers – and 5-of-7 from the free throw line against the Eagles and followed that with a 5-of-16 effort shooting and four more treys versus the Broncos, where she also was a career-best 10-of-10 from the line.

She also had seven rebounds and five steals in the two games.

It is the first time in her career that Shearer has earned the league's Player of the Week award, and the second time this season a Titan has taken home the accolade as freshman Shareta Brown was honored on Dec. 5.
 
THE MAD HATTER
Sophomore Megan Hatter has seen all of her offensive numbers rise from her freshman year, and she is coming off one her best collegiate game ending with a career-high 16 points against IPFW on Dec. 18. Hatter was a career-best 7-of-9 shooting, including a 3-pointer, and had two steals and two blocks.

With a pair of 3-pointers against Western Michigan a career high in that department - Hatter has now scored in nine-straight games after being held scoreless in the Titans' first three contests. Her 19 field goals and eight 3-pointers are more than she had a year ago (5 and 3, respectively) and she has already doubled her assist total to nine and has 36 rebounds, up from 20 as a rookie.

On the year, Hatter is averaging 4.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
 
GETTING OFFENSIVE
The Titans tallied a season-best 90 points against IPFW on Dec. 18, shooting a school record 65.5% in the process. UDM connected on 38-of-58 shots, including 22-of-29 (75%) in the second half.

The 90 points (53 in the second half) were the most by Detroit since posting 90 in a winning effort at Milwaukee last season and the most UDM has scored at home since a 94-67 victory against Cleveland State on Jan. 12, 2002.

It is also the second most by a Horizon League team this season following Youngstown State's 91 it had against IPFW.

In the last three games, Detroit is averaging 77.6 points per game, scoring 70 or more in all three.
  
ALLEN'S ALL-AROUND GAME
Lauren Allen returns for her senior season and will look for a big year in her final collegiate campaign.

In her career, she has 36 games with five or more rebounds, 28 double digit scoring efforts as well as 23 games with five or more assists.

In her career, she is averaging 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
 
LIL'BIT CRASHING THE BOARDS
Senior Jalesa Jones tallied a career-high nine rebounds at Western Michigan, just two games after she had a then season-high of seven against IPFW.

It was the 31st time in her career that the 5-4 point guard has pulled down five or more rebounds in a game.

In her career, Jones has averaged more than 3.0 rebounds per game in every season and is currently sporting a 3.5 career average.