Game Notes (PDF)
DETROIT (1/3/2016) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team returns to the court Monday evening, hosting Cleveland State at 5 p.m. for its second Horizon League contest of the 2015-16 season at Calihan Hall. The game on Dick Vitale Court will be available on ESPN3 and local television WADL with the Voice of Detroit women's basketball,
Denny Kapp, calling all of the action.
The Titans (4-8, 0-1 Horizon League) opened the conference portion of their schedule Saturday with a 72-70 loss to visiting Youngstown State. First-year head coach
Bernard Scott goes against another one of his former teams once again in Cleveland State, where he served as the associate head coach last season.
Cleveland State (3-8, 0-1 HL) is coming off a 79-69 setback to Oakland in their Horizon League opener.
Titans Fall in Final Seconds in Horizon League OpenerSophomore forward
Brianne Cohen scored 19 points for the third time this season, but the Titans fell in the final seconds in their Horizon League opener against visiting Youngstown State on Jan. 2. Detroit led by seven points, 57-57, entering the final quarter, but YSU used a run of 15-4 to take the lead.
Detroit fought its way back as
Brittney Jackson hit a corner triple to pull the Titans to within one point, 65-64, with 2:13 left. Detroit regained the lead, 68-67, with 37 seconds left after Cohen sank two free throws.
YSU's Indiya Benjamin followed with a 3-pointer to give the Penguins the lead again, but Jackson hit a clutch runner in the lane to tie the contest, 70-70, with nine seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, Detroit was called for a foul on the inbounds play giving Youngstown State two free throw shots. YSU's Sarah Cash converted on both with five seconds left. Detroit had one final look at the basket with 2.8 seconds left, but
Rosanna Reynolds' half-court heave was off-target.
Cohen shot 8-of-13 from the floor for her 19 points. Jackson and
Haleigh Ristovski each added 11 points for the Titans. Ristovski added team-highs of nine rebounds and six assists. Reynolds posted nine points, five assists and two blocks and hit the 100th 3-pointer of her career early in the third quarter.
All-Time SeriesDetroit holds a 36-15 series lead over Cleveland State entering Monday's game, which includes a 21-4 mark at home. The Titans earned a 78-65 win over the Vikings in their last meeting in Detroit, on Feb. 21, 2015. The teams split both conference games last year and are 5-5 in their last 10 matchups. In the past 10 games played inside Calihan Hall with CSU, Detroit has a 6-4 record.
Scouting Cleveland StateThe Vikings dropped the first four games of the season, but have won three out of their last seven. CSU dropped its Horizon League opener at Oakland, falling 79-69, in Rochester. Four Vikings finished in double figures led by freshman Ashanti Abshaw, who recorded with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Cleveland State had season-highs of 47 rebounds and 20 offensive boards in the contest.
For the season, Abshaw leads the squad with 16.4 points per game and 8.5 rebounds in her rookie campaign. She has recorded three double-doubles this season. Khayla Livingston adds 12.7 points per game, while Adesuwa Aideyman scores 10.5 points per game off the bench. Brooke Smith leads the team in steals (42), while Olivia Voskuhl ranks second on the Vikings with 6.6 rebounds per game.
Last Time Out vs. CSUDetroit scored 43 first-half points and tallied a 13-point win, 78-65, over Cleveland State on Feb. 21, 2015.
Ellisha Crosby hit six 3-pointers and scored 21 points on Senior Day for the Titans.
Rosanna Reynolds added 15 points and 10 rebounds, while
Nicole Urbanick hit three 3-pointers and posted nine points off the bench.
Haleigh Ristovski had nine rebounds and five assists for the Titans.
The Titans shot 50 percent from the floor and sank 10-of-23 shots from beyond the arc. Detroit out-rebounded the Vikings, 38-35, in the contest, while also making 16-of-20 free throw shots during the game.
Urbanick Ties School Record in Career NightSophomore guard
Nicole Urbanick tied a school record when she hit eight 3-pointers -- including five in the third quarter -- on her way to a career-best 32 points against Eastern Michigan on Dec. 30. She tied Daphne Smith's record for triples in a game, that was set in 1987. It was Urbanick's first career 30-point game. Her 17-point third quarter is the high in a quarter for a Titan player this season, surpassing the 14-point quarter she had against Salem International. Urbanick's previous career high was 24 points earlier this season against Salem International.
Urbanick's 32 points is also tied for the most in the Horizon League for a single game this season with Wright State's Kim Demmings. Her 32 points is the most by a Titan since
Rosanna Reynolds tallied 33 points at IPFW in December 2014.
The Divine Child HS graduate ranks first in the Horizon League in 3-pointers made per game (2.8). She moved into the top 20 for career 3-pointers made against Eastern Michigan and is tied for 17th all-time with Megan Hatter and Daphne Smith.
Rosie Nears 1,000Junior guard
Rosanna Reynolds is quickly nearing the 1,000-point plateau. She is 63 points away from the 1,000-point milestone for her Titan career. Reynolds surpassed the 800-point plateau mark during the Titans' game against No. 8 Maryland and reached the 900-point mark early in the game against Western Michigan.
She would become the 20th player in Detroit women's basketball history to surpass the 1,000-point mark and first since Senee Shearer during the 2013-14 season. Reynolds has led the Titans in scoring in six of 12 games this year and ranks second on the team with a 14.9 points per game average. Reynolds also became the 12th player in school history to hit 100 triples in her career. She reached the mark during the third quarter of the Horizon League opener vs. Youngstown State.
Cohen Continues Strong PlaySince her move to the bench early in the season,
Brianne Cohen has found her role as an instant scorer and rebounder for the Titans. She has scored in double figures in seven out of the past nine games, reaching 19 points three times this season. The Toronto, Ont. native ranks third on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg). She also leads the team with 39 offensive caroms and has recorded seven games of seven or more boards.
Taking Care of the BallDetroit ranks third in the Horizon League in fewest turnovers per game this season. The Titans have been ranked among the league leaders all season and currently averages just 14.4 turnovers per game.
The Titans have had four games this year of 10 turnovers or fewer. Detroit turned the ball over six times at St. Bonaventure and followed it up with just nine turnovers against Niagara in the team's first win of the year. UDM also had 10 turnovers against Western Michigan and Youngstown State.
Earlier in the year against No. 8-ranked Maryland, Detroit had just six turnovers in the second half against one of the top teams in the country in the Terrapins.
Three's CompanyThe Titans had four players reach 40 or more 3-pointers made during the 2014-15 season. Three of those players are back this year -- Reynolds (59 triples), Ristovski (51) and Urbanick (40). The trio combined for 150 of the 221 triples Detroit made a season ago.
Urbanick (33), Ristovski (19) and Reynolds (14) have already combined for 66 three-pointers through 12 games this season. Reynolds became the 12th player in Titan history to reach 100 career triples, reaching the milestone against Youngstown State. Ristovski is 16th all-time with 91 career 3-pointers, while Urbanick is tied for 17th in career makes with 73 triples in just 39 contests.
Horizon League HistoryThe Titans are 224-223 all-time in Horizon League play with its 223 victories ranking third all-time behind Green Bay (298) and former member Butler (227).
Detroit is in its 36th season as a Horizon League member and stands as the eldest member by 14 years over Cleveland State, Green Bay, Milwaukee, UIC and Wright State. The Titans joined the league in 1980.
Up NextDetroit hits the road for its first two league games away from Calihan Hall this season. The Titans play in Valparaiso on Thursday for an 8 p.m. ET game, before traveling to Chicago for a matchup Saturday afternoon with UIC at 4 p.m. ET. Following its weekend trip, Detroit returns home for the next three contests.
