The BasicsFinal Score: Detroit 89, UIC 80
Records: Detroit 7-8 (3-1 HL), UIC 9-6 (0-4 HL)
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Calihan Hall)
CHICAGO, Ill. (1/9/2016) -- Behind another strong team effort and efficient shooting, the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team earned its third-straight Horizon League victory of the year in an 89-80 triumph over UIC on Saturday.
The win gave first-year head coach
Bernard Scott's team a 3-1 record in league play for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The Titans completed a 3-0 week with their third win in six days.
Detroit (7-8, 3-1 Horizon League) had three players score more than 20 points, led by sophomore
Nicole Urbanick (Grosse Ile, Mich. / Divine Child), who finished with 31 points. Junior
Rosanna Reynolds (Canton, Mich. / Divine Child) totaled a season-best 26 points and sophomore
Brianne Cohen (Toronto, Ont. / York Memorial) scored a career-high 20 points for the Titans. The trio combined for 77 of Detroit's season-high 89 points.
The Titans shot a season-high 50.9 percent (28-of-55) for the game, while connecting on 11-of-25 shots from beyond the arc. Detroit also made 22-of-29 free throws in the win. UDM was 14-of-22 from the field (63.6) in the second half, including 7-of-10 in the fourth quarter.
Detroit opened the game on a 19-8 run in the first six minutes of the game. The Titans went up 22-11 after a
Lola Ristovski 3-pointer and Detroit held a four-point advantage after the first quarter, 22-18. The Titans led nearly the entire second quarter and held their largest lead after Reynolds drilled a 3-pointer to give Detroit a 36-29 lead with 5:51 left in stanza. UIC closed out the frame on an 11-2 run, however, to take its first lead of the game at halftime, 40-38. Urbanick and Cohen each totaled 11 points in the first half.
Urbanick heated up in the third quarter and was perfect from the field, hitting all three 3-pointers and four shots from the floor for 13 points. Along with Reynolds -- who recorded 10 points in the stanza -- the duo had 23 of Detroit's 25 points. Urbanick and Reynolds combined for the first 15 points of the quarter and Detroit took a 54-46 lead with 5:24 left in the quarter.
The Flames came back to knot the game, 54-54, with 2:11 left in the third stanza. Reynolds followed with a lay-up and Urbanick hit her sixth 3-pointer of the contest as Detroit went up 59-54. The two squads traded free throws with Reynolds hitting a pair with three seconds left as Detroit took a 63-60 advantage after three quarters.
The contest was back-and-forth for much of the fourth quarter and was tied, 73-73, with 4:03 remaining after Urbanick split a pair of free throws following an offensive foul by UIC. Urbanick hit her 14th triple of the week and seventh of the game, giving Detroit a 76-73 lead with 3:45 left. UIC pulled to within two points three more times, the last coming at the 1:32 mark after Ruvanna Campbell hit a pair of free throws to cut the UDM lead to 82-80.
But Detroit's defense was solid in the final minutes, forcing UIC into 0-of-4 shooting in the last 46 seconds. The Titans were just as solid from the free throw line with Reynolds hitting 3-of-4 attempts and Urbanick both free throw shots in the last 32 seconds.
Junior
Haleigh Ristovski (Sterling Heights, Mich. / University Liggett) had team-highs of seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Freshman
Brittney Jackson (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Nazareth) finished with a career-high five assists.
Urbanick made 7-of-11 triples and was 6-of-8 from the free throw line in her second 30-point game of the season. Reynolds sank 8-of-10 free throws and with her 26 points, finished just four points shy of 1,000 for her career. Cohen was 7-of-11 from the field in her career-best 20 points and also pulled down five boards. Sophomore
Chea Taylor (Bellbrook, Ohio) added four rebounds for Detroit.
The Titans notched their sixth game of the season of 10 turnovers or less, totaling just eight in the victory. Detroit held UIC to season-low 34 rebounds for an opponent, while pulling down 32 themselves. The Flames hit just 3-of-11 shots from downtown.
Ruvanna Campbell led the Flames (9-6, 0-4 HL) with 29 points.
Titan News & Notes• The last time Detroit had three players score 20 points was Dec. 7, 2013 when
Ellisha Crosby (24), Megan Hatter (21) and Senee Shearer (20) each reached the plateau in a victory over Chicago State.
• UDM started 4-1 in conference play during the 2011-12 season.
• Detroit improved to 26-22 all-time against UIC and have won the last three meetings between the two squads.
• The Titans are 7-1 this season when shooting 40 percent or better and 2-0 when shooting 50 percent from the field.
• Urbanick was one point shy of her career high of 32 points, which she accomplished on Dec. 30 against Eastern Michigan. She was also one off her own school record of eight 3-pointers, which she shares with Daphne Smith. It was her fourth 20-point game this season and third in the last five games.
• Jackson had a career-best five assists and no turnovers.
• Reynolds reached 20 points for the third time this season. She is just four points shy of 1,000 in her Detroit career.
• Cohen had scored 19 points four times this season, topping her previous career-high by one point. She has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 12 contests -- all off the bench.
• The 22 free throw makes were a season high.
• Detroit had 11 turnovers or less for the fourth-straight contest.
• The Titans have made 10 or more triples four times this year.
Up NextThe Titans head home for their next three contests, beginning with a 7 p.m. Thursday matchup with Horizon League unbeaten Wright State. Detroit then hosts Northern Kentucky on Saturday, Jan. 16 before entertaining #MetroSeries rival Oakland the following weekend on Jan. 23.
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