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CLEVELAND (2/15/2014) -- Freshman Haleigh Ristovski posted a career-high 19 points and the Titan defense was stifling in the first half, but a strong run by Cleveland State was just enough as the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team suffered a 79-74 setback on Saturday at the Wolstein Center.

Ristovski was 8-of-10 shooting with three 3-pointers as well as grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Tayelor McCalister had 16 points, while senior Senee Shearer chipped in 14 and freshman Megan Galloway added 13 with seven boards.

Detroit (4-20, 1-10 HL) trailed by six, 69-63, with 4:49 left when the Titans tried to mount a late comeback. McCalister started it with a bucket and then two-straight 3-pointers by Ristovski cut the deficit to just two, 73-71, with a little more than three minutes left.  Cleveland State (13-11, 8-3 HL) pushed it back to six, but Shearer's fourth trey of the game made it a one-score contest, 77-74, with 44 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing CSU possession, the Titan defense played hard and forced a missed shot, but UDM just could not corral the rebound and it went off a Detroit player with 12 ticks on the clock and the Vikings then hit both free throws after a foul to end it.

Senior Megan Hatter recorded three points, four rebounds and a team-high four assists. Freshman Minisha Frederick-Childress tallied six points, five rebounds and three assists, while Ristovski and Shearer each had three helpers apiece.

UDM shot just under 50% hitting 28-of-58 (48.3%) as well as going 8-of-17 from behind the arc and 10-of-14 at the charity stripe.

The Titans were in control of the game at the start and it was the defense leading the way holding Cleveland State to just 3-of-15 from the field in the first eight minutes.  UDM scored the first four points as Ristovski and Galloway had early baskets and Detroit then led 8-2 four minutes in.

CSU scored five straight to trim the lead to one, but the red, white and blue countered with nine in a row as Frederick-Childress started the run with a layup and after four points from McCalister, Ristovski drained a three to put Detroit up, 17-7, at the 12:49 mark.

The Vikings were able to pull within four on two occasions, but the old fashioned three-point play by McCalister and a trey from Shearer had UDM up 29-19 with 6:36 remaining in the first. Cleveland State would get it down to six, 32-26, but six-straight points once again gave the Titans a double digit lead, 38-26, and Detroit eventually pushed it to 13, 42-29, before heading into the break up 11, 42-31.

Detroit shot 53.6% (15-of-28) in the first half and held Cleveland State to just 10-of-34 (29.4%), including 3-of-14 from three, while outrebounding the Vikings, 23-17.

The second half began with the Vikings attacking more to try and get back in it, but a three-point play by Galloway gave UDM an eight-point lead, 48-40, at the 16:41 mark. Detroit still led by eight, 50-42, when CSU kept pecking away, eventually knotting it at 56-all with 11 minutes left.

Detroit was able to respond with a layup from Frederick-Childress and a basket by sophomore DaVonna Bradford for a 60-56 advantage, but Cleveland State would then tie it up at 60-60 with 7:49 remaining. UDM quickly took the lead back as Shearer knocked down a trifecta, but a 9-0 spurt by the Vikings erased that and they would never relinquish the lead.

The Titans will now have a week off as they prepare for Wright State next Saturday, Feb. 22, at 2:00 p.m., in historic Calihan Hall. The game is part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which will sponsor different athletics events for girls ages 6-13 to take part in. For more information on the FREE event and how to sign up, click here.

Game Notes:
Detroit still leads the all-time series, 35-16…  The Titans had four players in double figures for the third-straight game and the fourth time in their last five outings… McCalister has now been in double digits in six-straight games, and is averaging 17.0 ppg., during this span… Ristovski's previous career high was 15 done twice, at Youngstown State and against Milwaukee… UDM played without freshman Reyna Montgomery for the second-straight game as she sat with an injury… Galloway was in double digits for the second-straight game, the second time this season she has tallied back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts… Shearer now has 211 career 3-pointers, just six away from Michelle James' school record of 217…