DETROIT (11/9/2017) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball squad opens its 41st season of play on Friday, visiting Mid-American Conference foe Miami (Ohio) for a 2 p.m. ET tip-off. It's the first meeting between the two programs since the 2001 season.
Detroit Mercy is entering its third season with head coach
Bernard Scott at the helm of the program. The Titans have two-straight winning campaigns, including reaching the championship game of the Horizon League Championship this past season. Detroit Mercy went 18-14 overall last year.
The Titans were picked to finish in fifth place in the Horizon League in the preseason poll and senior forward
Brianne Cohen was voted Preseason First Team All-Horizon. Cohen is one of the key returners for Detroit Mercy and was a Second Team All-Horizon League selection in 2016-17.
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Senior Returners
Forward
Brianne Cohen, who was Second Team All-Horizon League in 2016-17, and guard
Nicole Urbanick are important pieces who are entering their senior seasons for the Titans.
Cohen, a Preseason All-Horizon League First Team pick, led the Horizon League in field goal percentage last year (60.1%), while ranking second on the team at 15.2 points per game. Cohen ranks 19th in school history in scoring (1,045 points) and No. 1 all-time in Titan history in field goal percentage (57.8). She led the team in blocks with 29 in 2016-17.
Urbanick was second in the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.3), sinking 72 triples last season and scoring 9.6 points per contest. One of the top 3-point shooters in the HL in each of the past two seasons, who has 155 3-pointers combined across the last two seasons, Urbanick has 195 total 3-pointers entering 2017-18. She is 95 points shy of 1,000 in her Titan career and 36 triples away from the career Titan mark.
Against the Mid-American Conference
The Titans are 87-81 all-time against the MAC, which includes a 2-3 mark against Miami. Detroit Mercy went 2-2 last season against the Mid-American Conference under coach Scott.
Detroit Mercy has played Western Michigan the most out of all of the MAC schools, meeting the in-state foe 31 times with 14 wins. The Titans have double-digit victories against Eastern Michigan (15), Central Michigan (14) and Bowling Green (10) all-time. The red, white and blue play six MAC schools this season after matching up against four in 2016-17 and two in 2015-16.
Titans Picked Fifth in Preseason Poll
Detroit Mercy was picked to finish fifth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's head coaches, Sports Information Directors and members of the media. The Titans were just three votes out of fourth and 13 back of third. The defending league champions Green Bay, earned 21 of the 25 first-place votes and was picked to finish first.
Three's Company
Detroit Mercy has broken the school record for 3-pointers in a season in head coach
Bernard Scott's two seasons at the helm of the Titans. The red, white and blue have made 493 triples combined in two seasons, making 259 last season after sinkng 234 during Scott's first season as head coach in 2015-16.
Three players who made 30 or more triples last season are back in senior
Nicole Urbanick (72), sophomore
Anja Marinkovic (48) and
Brittney Jackson (30).
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns home for its first home game of the season, hosting Bowling Green on Monday for its annual Kid's Day Game from Calihan Hall. Opening tip for the contest is slated for 11 a.m. ET. The game may be seen on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN Applications with
Denny Kapp calling all of the action. Admission into the game is also free.
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