The BasicsFinal Score: Detroit 72, Valparaiso 66
Records: Detroit 6-8 (2-1 HL), Valparaiso 5-9 (1-2 HL)
Location: Valparaiso, Ind. (Athletics-Recreation Center)
VALPARAISO, Ind. (1/7/2016) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team improved to 2-1 in the Horizon League on Thursday, rallying from a nine-point second-half deficit for a 72-66 road victory over host Valparaiso at the ARC.
Sophomore
Brianne Cohen tied her career-high with 19 points, while junior
Rosanna Reynolds totaled 15 points, eight rebounds and four steals in Detroit's first road triumph of the season. It was the first road win and Horizon League road victory for first-year head coach
Bernard Scott.
Cohen and Reynolds scored all 17 Detroit points in the first quarter, but the Titans trailed, 23-17, after the first 10 minutes. Detroit (6-8, 2-1 HL) picked up the intensity in the second quarter and held Valparaiso to nine points in the stanza, while scoring 16 to take a 33-32 halftime lead. Cohen was a force down low in the opening 20 minutes, hitting 6-of-9 shots and scoring 15 points.
Valparaiso opened the second half on a 16-6 run, but the Titans answered.
Haleigh Ristovski and
Brittney Jackson hit back-to-back 3-pointers and
Nicole Urbanick finished an 8-0 run with a pair of free throws. Detroit took the lead, 52-51, on a Ristovski triple with 1:19 left in the third and then Urbanick converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play with 10 seconds left in the stanza to go up 55-53 after three quarters.
The Titans increased their lead to four points after
Chea Taylor's layup early in the fourth quarter. Valparaiso would cut the lead to one point, 59-58, with 6:46 remaining, but
Lola Ristovski took a pass from sister
Haleigh Ristovski and nailed a 3-pointer from the corner as the Titans surged ahead, 62-58, with 4:52 left.
Neither team scored for the next two minutes, but Cohen scored an easy bucket down low off Reynolds' eighth assist of the game with 3:09 left to give Detroit a 64-58 advantage.
Lola Ristovski split a pair of free throws with 1:07 left and after Valparaiso's Dani Franklin hit a triple, Cohen tied her career high after another lay-up down low as Detroit again went up six points, 67-61, with 46 seconds remaining.
Valparaiso pulled within three points, 69-66, on another Franklin triple, but Reynolds hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the win. Detroit sank 12-of-15 free throws in the second half, including 5-of-6 in the last 32 seconds.
Urbanick was the third Titan in double figures with 12 points. Jackson hit 2-of-4 treys and finished with nine points for Detroit, which shot 42 percent from the floor for the game. Detroit, which entered the game tied for the league lead in fewest turnovers per game, had just 11 in the contest.
Detroit also totaled six blocks and seven steals, while committing just 12 fouls.
Haleigh Ristovski had a team-high nine rebounds for UDM.
Dani Franklin scored 19 points and Jasmyn Walker added 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds for Valparaiso (5-9, 1-2 Horizon League).
Titan News & Notes• Reynolds is just 30 points away from the 1,000-point milestone. She has 970 points following her 15-point effort Thursday.
• Reynolds totaled a season-high eight assists, just one shy of her career high.
• Detroit improved to 6-1 this season when shooting 40 percent or better from the field.
• The Titans have shot above 40 percent in the past three games.
• Cohen has scored in double digits in nine out of the past 11 games -- all off the bench.
• The road victory was the first of the season for the Titans.
• Detroit has now had 11 or fewer turnovers in its last three contests.
Up NextThe Titans head to the Windy City to play UIC on Saturday in a 4 p.m. ET game on ESPN3. Detroit then returns home for three straight contests at Calihan Hall, beginning with a Thursday, Jan. 14 match-up with Wright State at 7 p.m.
