The BasicsFinal Score: Detroit 64, IPFW 63
Records: Detroit 4-4, IPFW 3-6
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Calihan Hall)
DETROIT (12/9/2015) -- Sophomore forward
Brianne Cohen hit two free throws with 3.0 seconds remaining to lift the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team to a 64-63 victory Wednesday over IPFW at Calihan Hall. The Titans finished the homestand 4-0 with their fourth-straight victory and have their longest win streak since the 2012-13 season.
Detroit (4-4) trailed by six points with 2:59 left, but continued to fight in the final minutes. Sophomore guard
Nicole Urbanick (Grosse Ile, Mich. / Divine Child) hit a triple from the wing with 2:37 left to pull the Titans to within three points and after a couple of defensive stops, Cohen hit a lay-up off an assist from junior
Rosanna Reynolds (Canton, Mich. / Divine Child) as Detroit trailed just 63-62 with 46 seconds left.
After forcing an IPFW turnover, Detroit missed a jumper but earned an offensive rebound after the ball went out of bounds with five seconds left. Cohen was fouled underneath the basket to set up the game-winning free throw attempts. Cohen calmly sank both free throws to put Detroit up 64-63.
IPFW (3-6) had one final chance to win the contest, but good defense by the Titans forced the Mastodons into a tough 3-pointer at the buzzer, which fell short.
Reynolds led the Titans with 20 points and seven assists. Junior
Haleigh Ristovski (Sterling Heights, Mich. / University Liggett) added eight points, 12 rebounds and a career-best six blocks, which all came in the first three quarters.
Brianne Cohen (Toronto, Ont. / York Memorial) finished with 12 points off the bench.
Reynolds, who scored 15 of her 20 points in the second half, also posted six rebounds, three blocks and two steals, while not turning over the ball once in the game. Urbanick had eight points for Detroit, while sophomore
Chea Taylor (Bellbrook, Ohio) added six points and five boards for the Titans.
Detroit shot 41.5 percent from the field, including 53.8 percent in the second half. Detroit had a season-high 12 blocks in the game, including seven in the first half. The Titans were also 14-of-19 from the free throw line and 6-of-18 from beyond the arc.
The Titans scored just 23 points in the first half, but nearly reached that total in the third quarter along, tallying 18 points. Detroit trailed by eight points after IPFW hit a triple to open the fourth quarter. It was IPFW's largest lead of the day. Detroit scored the next nine points -- the first four in the stretch by Cohen. Reynolds' lay-up and free throw after a foul gave Detroit the lead, 50-49, with 6:38 remaining.
Freshman
Brittney Jackson (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Nazareth) hit a triple with 4:43 left to pull the Titans to within one point after IPFW went up four. The Mastodons continued to stay in front down the stretch until Detroit's clutch free throws with just seconds remaining. The Titans led for just 14 seconds in the fourth quarter, but did so when it mattered to pull out their fourth-straight win.
Josie Fisher led IPFW with 22 points, including four 3-pointers.
Titan News & Notes• The Titans were playing with heavy hearts after alum and longtime supporter Reggie Hall passed away earlier in the day.
• Detroit improved to 4-2 at Calihan Hall this season. The Titans have won their last four contests at home.
• Following the victory, Detroit improved to 9-2 in the all-time series with IPFW.
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Haleigh Ristovski had 10 or more rebounds for the fourth time this season. She finished just one shy of her career-best, set earlier this season.
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Rosanna Reynolds tied her season-high with seven assists.
• The Titans shot 40 percent or better for the fourth-straight game (all wins).
• Reynolds is nearing the 1,000-point plateau. She is just 104 points away from the mark following her 20 points Wednesday.
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Haleigh Ristovski was just two blocks off the school record of eight, set by Yvette Harris in 1978.
Up NextDetroit returns to the court Saturday, visiting Western Michigan University for a 2 p.m. game in Kalamazoo. The game is set to be broadcast on ESPN3.com and the Watch ESPN Applications. The Titans have the next two on the road, also visiting Michigan State on Dec. 21.
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