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DETROIT (2/8/2014) -- Four Titans scored in double figures and Detroit used a strong second half to pull out a win as the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team clawed its way past the Milwaukee Panthers, 80-68, on Saturday afternoon at historic Calihan Hall. The victory was part of the Play4Kay games going on all over the country.

Prior to the game, Detroit honored Dorothy Collins, a six-year breast cancer survivor as part of the Play 4Kay Game. The Play 4Kay initiative is an opportunity for a nation of coaches to raise breast cancer awareness and funds for research on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Since its inception in 2007, the Play 4Kay initiative has raised over $2.8 million to support women's cancer research.

Senior Senee Shearer led all scorers with 21 points. Freshman Minisha Frederick-Childress tallied 10 points, a career-high nine rebounds and four assists, while freshman Haleigh Ristovski and sophomore Tayelor McCalister added 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Milwaukee (7-15, 3-6 HL) came out scoring to start the second half, opening a seven-point lead on a few occasions, the latest at 51-44 with 14:08 left.

Detroit (4-18, 1-8 HL) then answered with seven-straight points to tie it up en route to a 24-7 run and a 66-58 advantage.

Ristovski started it by hitting a trey and that was followed by a basket by freshman Megan Galloway and a jumper from McCalister at the 12:07 mark. That would be the start of six-straight from McCalister as her final basket pushed UDM to a 55-54 lead and Shearer added two free throws for a 57-54 lead with 9:44 left.

After a Milwaukee basket, Detroit went on an 11-4 spurt with Shearer getting the offense going off a three. Frederick-Childress and Galloway had buckets and four points from Ristovski put the Titans up 10, 68-58, with 3:27 left. UDM would then lead by as many as 14 with free throws adding to the difference down the stretch.

The Titans won the battle of the boards, 45-41, which included 22 offensive rebounds. The Detroit defense forced 19 total turnovers and held a 23-9 advantage on points off turnovers.

Galloway ended with eight points and seven rebounds and Ristovski added seven boards of her own. Senior Megan Hatter – who missed seven-straight games with an injury - finished with six points and four rebounds and McCalister dished out a game-high six assists.

Detroit came out firing hitting its first three shots and taking an 8-0 lead. Freshman Reyna Montgomery got it started with a layup and after a free throw from Frederick-Childress, Shearer had a basket and Hatter knocked down a trifecta.

Milwaukee responded with a 13-2 run to jump out in front, 13-10, just six minutes into the game, but a layup by McCalister ended that. Sophomore DaVonna Bradford then added a layup and two free throws by Montgomery knotted it at 16-all midway through the half, but a 3-pointer by Shearer gave UDM a 19-18 lead at the 8:12 mark.

The Titans would go on to take a 24-20 advantage, but the first half back-and-forth play continued as Milwaukee went back in front, 28-27. Detroit was then down three, 32-29, until Shearer drained another three as the two teams went into the half all squared at 38-38.

The first half featured eight lead changes and seven ties as the Titan defense forced 10 turnovers and held the Panthers to 3-of-12 from behind the arc.

Detroit will now go on a quick two-game road swing as the Titans start the trip against Oakland on Thursday. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., at the O'Rena, before they head to Cleveland State next Saturday.

Game Notes:
Detroit split the season series with Milwaukee and leads the all-time series, 24-23… Hatter last played in the Horizon League opener at Wright State (1/5)… Ristovski tied her season-high with 15 she had at Youngstown State… It was only the fifth time this year that UDM has outrebounded an opponent and the first since doing so against Chicago State on Dec. 6, a span of 11 games… McCalister is now averaging 16.7 ppg., in her last four games… Frederick-Childress is now averaging 9.0 ppg., and 4.3 apg., in her last three games… The win was No. 87 for head coach Autumn Rademacher as she is now just four away from DeWayne Jones for second in school history and six in back of her coach at Detroit Fred Procter, the school's all-time leader at 93.