The Basics
Final Score: Valparaiso 94, Detroit 91 (OT)
Records: Detroit 15-15, Valparaiso 10-20
Location: Green Bay, Wisc. (Kress Events Center)
GREEN BAY, Wis. (3/10/2016) – The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to force overtime against Valparaiso, but fell in the extra frame, 94-91, in the first round of the Horizon League Championship on Thursday afternoon from the Kress Events Center.
The ninth-seeded Crusaders used a barrage of early 3-pointers to put the fourth-seeded Titans (15-15) on their heels, but Detroit stormed back behind a career day from junior
Haleigh Ristovski, who tied the Horizon League Championship record with seven 3-pointers on her way to a career-high 26 points.
Sophomore
Brianne Cohen, the league's Sixth Player of the Year, added 25 points off the bench for Detroit, while junior
Rosanna Reynolds had a near-triple double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
The Titans trailed by 10, 69-59, entering the fourth quarter and trailed by 12 after the Crusaders opened the frame with a lay-up by Meredith Hamlet.
Haleigh Ristovski immediately followed with a 3-pointer -- her sixth of the contest -- and
Nicole Urbanick made it five-straight Detroit points with a lay-up of her own.
After a pair of Valparaiso free throws put the Crusaders up nine, 73-64, the Titans clamped down on defense, holding Valpo scoreless for the next five minutes of the game. Detroit went on a 6-0 run during that span and pulled to within three points, 73-70, on Cohen's lay-up with 3:37 left in regulation. Hamlet converted on a lay-up to put Valpo up five, but
Haleigh Ristovski scored down low and younger sister
Lola Ristovski tied the game, 75-75, with a corner 3-pointer with 1:50 left.
The Crusaders snuck back in front, 78-75, with 19.3 seconds remaining, but
Haleigh Ristovski was fouled on a 3-point attempt and calmly sank all three free throws to knot the game at 78-78 with 12.4 seconds left.
Lola Ristovski then denied Valparaiso's chance at a buzzer-beater with a crucial block to send the game into overtime.
Both teams came out firing offensively in the extra stanza.
Haleigh Ristovski set the Horizon League Championship record with her seventh trey just 15 seconds into overtime. Detroit trailed 87-83 after a stretch of three Valparaiso 3-pointers, but the Titans took an 89-87 lead on back-to-back triples by Urbanick.
Valpo answered with a 7-2 run to go ahead 94-91 with just seconds left. Detroit had one last look to tie the game after inbounding the ball with five seconds remaining, but its' 3-point shot came up just short as the ball caromed off the front of the rim.
The win avenges two regular-season losses Detroit handed Valpo and advances the Crusaders to the quarterfinals of the HL Championship.
Valparaiso opened the game 9-for-10 from deep and was 10-for-13 from outside in the first half. The Crusaders shot 66.7 percent in the first half (18-for-27), while the Titans were 13-for-40. Detroit shot 39.7 percent for the game and knocked down 11 triples, and also shot well from the free-throw line sinking 18-of-21.
Detroit was strong on the boards, allowing just one offensive rebound and holding the advantage for the game, 42-35. The Titans, the league-leaders all season in fewest turnovers per game, turned the ball over just nine times. Detroit had 15 offensive boards, its third-best total of the year.
Haleigh Ristovski went 7-for-10 from beyond the arc and tallied 11 rebounds and five assists for Detroit. Urbanick added three 3-pointers and finished as the fourth member in double figures with 11 points, while sophomore
Chea Taylor added eight points for Detroit.
Jasmyn Walker led Valparaiso (10-20) in scoring with 23 points.
Quotable"Well, we fought all year. With eight young ladies, we fought every game. We've been down before and as I was telling the team in the huddle, we've been here before. We are built for this and we fought back. Haleigh hit some clutch free throws at the end and we got to overtime and to be honest, I thought we had it. Valpo made plays and unfortunately we couldn't pull it off." - First-year head coach
Bernard Scott on the second-half comeback.
Titan News & Notes• Detroit's winning season this year was its first since the 2012-13 campaign.
• Cohen (118) and Reynolds (102) became the first Detroit pair to make 100 free throws in the same season.
• It was Detroit's first loss of the season when scoring 80 or more points. The Titans went 9-1 in those games.
• Detroit played in three overtime games this season, only falling in its final one.
• The Titans hit 10 or more 3-pointers for the eighth time this season.
• It's the second time this season Reynolds and
Haleigh Ristovski have each tallied double-doubles in the same contest.
• It was
Haleigh Ristovski's seventh double-double of the year and Reynolds' sixth of 2015-16.
•
Haleigh Ristovski's previous career-high of 23 came against Oakland earlier this year.
• The 91 points for Detroit was the second-most scored this season.
• Detroit's nine turnovers marked the seventh time this year that UDM has had 10 or less.
