The Basics
Final Score: Detroit Mercy 71, Oakland 61
Records: Detroit Mercy 14-10 (10-3 HL), Oakland 13-11 (7-6 HL)
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Calihan Hall)
DETROIT (2/11/2017) -- Eight-straight at home and another one over the rivals.
The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team earned its seventh win in its past eight games and improved to 8-0 at home in Horizon League play on Saturday with a 71-61 victory over Oakland from Calihan Hall. It was the second victory this season over the rival Golden Grizzlies and third-straight overall under head coach
Bernard Scott.
Detroit Mercy improved to 10-3 in the Horizon League and 8-0 in league home contests, just the third time in school history the Titans have won eight-straight on their home court in league play and the first time since 1996-97.
The Titans opened the game by allowing just five first-quarter points from Oakland and 18 first-half points overall, taking a 30-18 lead at the break. Detroit Mercy never trailed during the contest and led by as many as 16 points late in the fourth quarter. Detroit Mercy shot 41.4 percent in the game, including 51.2 percent in the final three quarters. The Titans also made their first 18 free throw shots, finishing 18-for-20 in the contest.
Although struggling to find its shot early, Detroit Mercy was stout defensively, allowing just five points by the Golden Grizzlies in the opening 10 minutes. Oakland didn't score until 5:32 minutes into the game. Junior forward
Brianne Cohen was very efficient in the opening half, sinking 6-of-9 shots and scoring 16 points in the first 20 minutes of the contest.
Detroit Mercy scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a 30-18 halftime lead. Senior Haleigh Ristovski had 10 rebounds at the break, adding four of the Titans' eight assists in the first half. The Titans were active defensively, totaling four blocks in the first half, two by senior
Rosanna Reynolds.
The third quarter was back-and-forth with Oakland cutting the Detroit Mercy lead down to six, 34-28, before the Titans used a 5-0 run on a Cohen lay-up and Reynolds triple to again lead by double digits, 39-28. The Titans led by double figures for most of the rest of the quarter and used a 6-1 run to end the third with
Haleigh Ristovski scoring four of the six points in the span.
Detroit Mercy increased its lead to 15 points midway through the fourth quarter, 61-46, with freshman
Anja Marinkovic hitting a triple from the corner and then converting on a lay-up to up the Titan lead with 6:30 remaining. Oakland would never pull the game down to closer than 10 points the rest of the way, with the Titans breaking the OU press and converting on free throws.
Cohen led the Titans with 24 points, the sixth 20-point game of the season and 14th in her career. She sank all eight free throw attempts and finished 8-of-14 from the floor, adding seven rebounds. Reynolds scored 15 of her 17 points after halftime to help put the game away. Marinkovic added 11 points, while sophomore
Brittney Jackson had eight points off the bench for the Titans.
Haleigh Ristovski totaled 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Titans in 39 minutes. It was the fourth 10-rebound game in the past six contests for Ristovski and 24th overall in her Titan career.
The Titans edged Oakland in rebounding, 41-38, and totaled six blocks and 16 assists in the game. The 90-percent free throw percentage was a season-best for the Titans and Detroit Mercy shot 40-percent or better for the 16th time this season, improving to 11-5 in those games.
Coach Scott improved to 3-1 all-time against the Golden Grizzlies, with Detroit Mercy improving to 15-10 against Oakland in the series history. The win also tied up the Metro Series standings for 2016-17 at eight points for each school.
On Tap
Detroit Mercy returns to the road next weekend, visiting UIC and Valparaiso on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Titans finish the regular season with four of five on the road. The Titans' next home game is Monday, Feb. 20 against Wright State for Senior Night.
