The Basics
Final Score: Kent State 82, Detroit Mercy 74
Records: Detroit Mercy 0-6, Kent State 5-3
Location: Kent, Ohio (M.A.C. Center)
KENT, Ohio (11/30/2017) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team shot 43.5 percent from the floor and three Titans had at least 17 points in the contest, but the team fell in a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair at Kent State on Thursday night, 82-74.
Detroit Mercy was led in scoring by senior
Brianne Cohen, who scored 13 of her 21 points in the second half. Senior
Nicole Urbanick and sophomore
Anja Marinkovic combined for seven 3-pointers and each finished with 17 points.
The Titans were sizzling shooting the ball from the start of the contest, sinking 7-of-9 shots to open the game, including 3-of-3 from downtown.
Detroit Mercy made four of its first five attempts to take a quick 10-2 lead over the host Golden Flashes. Urbanick drilled a 3-pointer in the first minute, Cohen converted off her own miss just seconds later and then found the bottom of the bucket again down low off a feed from junior
Gracie Roberts to make it 7-2 just 1:52 into the contest. After a Roberts rebound, Urbanick knocked down another triple as Detroit Mercy went up 10-2 with 7:30 left in the first stanza.
Marinkovic made her first of four 3-pointers in the game just minutes later, and Detroit Mercy extended its lead to nine points, 17-8, by the media timeout with 4:04 left in the first quarter. Marinkovic connected on her third field goal of the first off another Roberts assist with 1:12 left in the first and Detroit Mercy led after the opening frame, 20-17.
Kent State would take the lead, 27-24, midway through the second, but sophomore
Zoey Oatis scored the next five points of the game, grabbing an offensive board, making a lay-up and then the free throw after being fouled on the shot. Oatis then swiped a KSU player for an easy lay-up as Detroit Mercy regained the lead, 29-27.
The game was back-and-forth for the rest of the second with freshman
Lexey Tobel connecting on a 3-pointer, Cohen converting on a lay-up and Marinkovic hitting another 3-pointer late in the first half. All of the plays gave Detroit Mercy leads, but Kent State would take the edge at halftime, 38-37.
KSU scored the first four points of the second half, but Urbanick knocked down her third 3-pointer and 199th of her career at the 7:43 mark of the third quarter. The game continued to be back-and-forth for much of the third quarter with the Titans pulling to within one or two points six different times. Cohen made four-straight free throws midway through the third and Marinkovic hit another 3-pointer off a look from Oatis as the Titans trailed just one, 53-52, with 2:42 left in the third.
The Golden Flashes went on a 6-1 run to end the third and Detroit Mercy trailed 59-53 entering the final stanza. KSU extended its run to 10-4 at the start of the fourth until Marinkovic drained her fourth 3-pointer with 7:58 left.
Sophomore
Brittney Jackson, who had a career-best two blocks in the game, converted on back-to-back shots and Detroit Mercy trailed 70-62 with 6:12 left. Jackson then found junior
Lola Ristovski for a 3-pointer from the wing to pull the Titans to within five, 70-65, with 5:06 left on the clock.
Detroit Mercy made it a 9-2 run after Cohen grabbed a board, ran down the court and flipped the ball over to Urbanick on the baseline, who sank a jumper. Her make made the score 70-67 with 4:33 remaining. The next time down, Cohen made a tough lay-up and Detroit Mercy was within two, 71-69, with 3:56 on the clock.
Kent State scored seven of the next eight points, however, to take a 78-70 lead with 1:54 left. Cohen sank a jumper with 51 ticks remaining to cut the deficit to six points, but Detroit Mercy would get no closer in the game.
Cohen had a season-best eight rebounds, while hitting 7-of-8 free throws in the contest. Jackson dished out five assists to go along with seven points, five rebounds and two blocks. Oatis had five points and a career-high three steals and sophomore
Ashley Miller swatted two shots for the Titans.
Free throws were a storyline with Kent State getting to the line 30 times, making 21 (70 percent), while the Titans were 11-of-21 (64 percent) from the free throw line. Detroit Mercy had six blocks total, its fifth game of six with four or more blocks. The Titans also hit nine 3-pointers and shot 34.6 percent from beyond the arc
Titan News & Notes
• Cohen tallied her 20th, 20-point game of her Titan career and fourth this season.
• Cohen jumped into 18th place on the career scoring list (1,156 points).
• Urbanick moved past two former Titans and into 24th place all-time on the career scoring list (942 points).
• With her three triples, Urbanick is one shy of 200 in her Titan career.
• Urbanick scored in double figures for the 45th time in her career.
• Jackson posted her second five-assist contest of the 2017-18 season.
• It was the second time this season Detroit Mercy has shot 40-percent or better.
• Detroit Mercy's 15 assists were also the second-best mark on the season.
• The Titans and Kent State were meeting for the eighth time in women's basketball.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns home for its next contest, hosting nationally-ranked Michigan for a 7 p.m. contest on Monday, Dec. 4 inside historic Calihan Hall. The Titans and Michigan will be meeting for the second time in three season at Calihan Hall.
