BUFFALO, N.Y. (11/8/2013) -- Four Titans scored in doubles figures, but the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team's late game surge was not enough as UDM fell on the road at Canisius, 77-67, on Friday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.
Junior
Ellisha Crosby led the way with a double-double in her Division I debut as she tallied a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds, while coming away with a team-best three steals.
Senior
Senee Shearer posted 13 points, three rebounds and had a pair of steals Sophomore
Rosanna Reynolds had 12 points and seven rebounds and sophomore
Tayelor McCalister ended with a career-high 11 points and topped the UDM squad with four assists.
Detroit trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, but was able to cut into that and make it a seven-point game, 44-37, just four minutes into the second period. A lot of that came on the strength of a 9-2 run. Crosby started it with a fast-break layup and then Reynolds had one of her own and senior
Megan Hatter drilled a trifecta that was followed by Shearer's run to the hoop.
Canisius, though, was able to hold serve and push it back to 14, 53-39, with 13:23 left, but the Titans ran off seven straight to once again get within seven, 53-46, with 12:04 remaining.
The Golden Griffins made it a double-digit lead again at 56-46 and 58-48, but a free throw from Shearer and three points from McCalister had the Titans behind by just six, 59-53, with 8:21 left, but that was as close as UDM could get with Canisius once again pushing the lead back to 15.
Detroit had one last charge in it as the Titans cut the home school's advantage down to seven as a three from Reynolds and some good free throw shooting by Crosby made it 72-65 at the 1:28 mark, but time was not on UDM's side.
Hatter finished with eight points and six rebounds and freshman
Minisha Frederick-Childress collected six points, two assists and a steal.
Detroit had 11 steals on the night and forced 21 turnovers, but Canisius was 11-of-29 from three where the Titans were 6-of-31, tying a school record for attempts.
The Titans got off to a strong start thanks to some pressure defense forcing Canisius out of its game. UDM had a 5-2 lead as Reynolds had the first markers of the new season on a pair of free throws and that was followed by a three from Shearer.
The Titans then took a 10-6 lead at the 16:35 mark as Crosby had a basket and a free throw and Shearer went inside for a strong layup.
Canisius countered with eight straight for a 14-10 lead, but Detroit came right back to knot the score at 14-all as McCalister got inside for a bucket and Frederick-Childress used her speed to get to the rim for a deuce.
The Golden Griffins then got hot from the outside hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and then the foul calls started to mount up as they added six points from the line en route to a 12-0 run and a 26-14 advantage midway through the half.
They later opened a 32-16 lead, but the Titans ended the stanza on a 12-5 run to trim the deficit to nine at the break, 37-28. McCalister started the spurt with a layup and Reynolds added five on a basket and a trey with Hatter and Frederick-Childress also coming up with points down the stretch.
Canisius was 5-of-12 from behind the arc in the first half compared to the Titans 1-of-10, but Detroit had four steals and forced 10 turnovers in the opening period.
Detroit will return to action on Monday, Nov. 11, with its home opener as the Titans host Lawrence Tech at 5:00 p.m., in a doubleheader that will have the men taking on UM-Dearborn at 7:30.
Season tickets for the 2013-14 are now on sale. Don't miss a chance to have guaranteed priority seating to watch the Titans at Calihan Hall. For more information on season and general ticket information,
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Game Notes:
The Nov. 8 tip off was the earliest in the 37-year history of UDM women's basketball… Detroit and Canisius have now split all six career meetings… This was only the second time Detroit has ever opened its season in N.Y., as the Titans won an in-season tournament at Buffalo in 1991 defeating Rider and the Bulls… UDM is now 78-40 all-time against Jesuit institutions… Detroit is now 15-22 all-time in season openers and 13-24 in true road openers… Shearer moved into sole possession of seventh place in career three as she now has 136… McCalister's previous career high in points was 10 against Madonna last season… UDM tied a school record with 31 three-point attempts, a feat they set in an overtime loss at Ball State last season…
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