Gameday Central
Season Preview on HLN Detroit
Game Notes vs. Canisius

DETROIT (11/6/2013) -- The 2013-14 University of Detroit women's basketball season is just two days away as the Titans open their 37th season on the road at Jesuit-rival Canisius on Friday. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., at the Koessler Athletic Center. There will be live stats and live video (subscription required) available for the contest.

Titan fans can follow every UDM game this season through the women's basketball GAMEDAY CENTRAL page located on the Titans Athletic Website that will keep fans one click away from all the action. This page will feature links for live stats (audio and video when applicable) as well as links for all the latest info while also making it easy to find the Titans on social media and to purchase photos and game tickets. The Game Day Central page also carries all the information on each opponent from who is leading the all-time series to who won the last game.

The Nov. 8 date is the earliest UDM has ever tipped off as the Titans come into the game against the Golden Griffins with a 3-2 edge in the overall series. Canisius is a Jesuit University based in Buffalo, N.Y.

Head coach Autumn Rademacher begins her sixth year at the helm of her alma mater. She has led UDM to 83 wins - just 10 away from the school record - two-straight postseason appearances and a WBI Championship in 2013.

Last year, the red, white and blue downed the Golden Griffins, 65-54, in the Motor City.

Season Preview
Young. That might be one way to describe the 2013-14 University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team, but another phrase that could easily fit the bill is "unlimited potential." After all, six freshmen are on the roster, but they do join a team that has five returning letter winners from last season, six total letter winners and a transfer that saw Detroit raise a banner at the end of last season by winning the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI).

UDM's two returning starters have plenty of experience and skill in senior guard Senee Shearer and sophomore guard Rosanna Reynolds. Senior forward Megan Hatter is also back as another player who has seen time as both a starter and a reserve.

Shearer is one of the Horizon League's top-shooting threats with 134 career 3-pointers – seventh in school history – which includes 75 as a sophomore for the second most by a Titan - and 53 last year in just 20 games as she returned from a knee injury. Despite missing the first 14 games, Shearer came back to average a career-best 11.6 ppg., along with 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Her shooting and experience – 80 career games and 46 starts – will be a vital part of the Titan success.

Reynolds might be just a sophomore, but she is a veteran after starting all 34 games last season and never really coming off the floor finishing fifth in the HL with 35.3 minutes per game. She had a terrific rookie season as a first-year point guard tallying 7.8 ppg., 4.0 apg., and 3.3 rpg. She was fifth in the Horizon League and 120th in the nation in assists as well as fifth in the league and 54th in the country with a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. A member of the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team, Reynolds will now look to take that next step on the hardwood.

Hatter is the top returning Titan in regards to games played (87) and starts (47) and she will bring her tireless worth ethic back to Dick Vitale Court for the chance at a championship. Hatter has assumed a number of roles for the Titans as a forward battling under the boards to an athletic forward who can help stretch the defense by hitting from the outside. Her intangibles are what make her a valuable member of the team regardless if she is coming off the bench or in the starting role.

Detroit's three other letter winners are composed of a pair of sophomores who saw limited time last season in guard Tayelor McCalister and forward DaVonna Bradford, and another player coming off an injury who didn't play last season in Brie Wilcox.

McCalister has seen the most time out of the group playing in 19 games last season at nearly 10 minutes per game. She averaged 2.4 ppg., on 19-of-33 from the field (.576) and had her best stretch in the non-conference with a career-high 10 against Madonna, nine at South Florida and seven at IPFW. Her game against the BIG EAST's South Florida program really showcased her skills by scoring nine points with two assists, two steals and three rebounds.

Bradford saw action in seven games, but she might be called upon more this year in the frontcourt with her 5-10 athletic frame. Wilcox stands at 6-2 and has a good shooting touch and played in 13 games as a freshman in 2011-12.

Out of the seven newcomers to the team, one that is looking the most intriguing is junior guard Ellisha Crosby. After sitting out last season due to transferring, Crosby has the ability to be another sharpshooter from the outside. She averaged 9.2 ppg., as a freshman at Cornerstone University, but in high school, she was one of the most prolific scorers the Michigan prep scene has ever witnessed. Playing for the Traverse City Lady Bulldogs Basketball in the West Michigan Homeschool Athletic Association, she started every game in her varsity career and posted 2,668 points –22.2 ppg. – 1,540 rebounds, 638 steals, 592 assists, and 400 blocks.

The six freshmen bring a lot of skills, size and athleticism to the program, with all having accomplished a lot on the prep level. Minisha Frederick-Childress is a point guard who scored over 1,000 career points and broke her school's assist record, while guard Reyna Montgomery was once recognized as one of the best recruits in the state of Ohio and as a 90 scouts grade by ESPN until an injury sidelined her career.

Haleigh Ristovski is a local product with a basketball pedigree in her family. She was a three-time All-State selection and was the AP's Class C Player of the Year as a senior. Lizzy Connors is a swing player who can score and was her team's Offensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-Conference as a senior. Megan Galloway and Tayla Gibb are both forwards that will vie for immediate playing in the frontcourt. Galloway was Honorable Mention All-State and named to the Ohio All-Star Team as a senior, while Gibb – a redshirt candidate who brings a great work ethic and enthusiasm in practice - is a Canadian product who helped her squad to three-straight 4A city championships.

Even though Detroit might be young to start the season, there is no counting out the fact that between the summer workouts, practice in the fall and a challenging non-conference schedule, Detroit will be ready for the Horizon League.