The Basics
Final Score: Cleveland State 67, Detroit Mercy 49
Records: Detroit Mercy 2-11 (0-2 HL), Cleveland State 5-8 (2-0 HL)
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Calihan Hall)

DETROIT (12/30/2018) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team dropped a Horizon League home contest Sunday afternoon, falling 67-49 to visiting Cleveland State from Calihan Hall. Junior forward Ashley Miller led the Titans with 11 points, while sophomore forward Lexey Tobel added nine points.

The Vikings scored the first six points of the contest, but Detroit Mercy went on an 11-5 run to conclude the first quarter as the two teams were knotted, 15-15. Miller had six points in the opening stanza, scoring the first four points for the Titans and then adding another field goal in the paint late in the frame.

Cleveland State took a 20-16 lead early in the second quarter, but Tobel connected on a 3-pointer and then sank two free throws as Detroit Mercy used a 5-0 run to take a 21-20 lead at the 6:39 mark of the second. Tobel made it seven-straight points with another jumper midway through the quarter and then senior Lola Ristovski scored five consecutive, hitting a runner off glass and then drilling a 3-pointer from the corner with 3:18 left before the halftime break.

Junior Zoey Oatis sank a jump shot with 2:29 left before halftime to tie the game, 30-30, but Cleveland State would take a 36-32 halftime edge over the Titans.

After the Vikings used a 12-0 run to open the second half, Detroit Mercy went on a 9-0 run of its own with freshman Sophia DiMilia scoring four points during the stretch, senior Brittney Jackson hitting a 3-pointer and freshman Alex Burr capping the run with a lay-up off a feed from classmate Jess Bicknell to cut the deficit to 48-41 in the third.

CSU closed the third on a run of its own and extended the lead to 16 early in the fourth quarter, but the Titans continued to chip away. Miller sank a lay-up and Jackson followed late in the quarter with her second 3-pointer of the game to trim the Vikings advantage to 10, 57-47. The Vikings -- who went 20-of-25 from the free throw line during the game -- went 8-of-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory.

Miller grabbed an offensive board and finished on the putback with 3:52 left to get into double figures scoring for the second time this season. Miller was 4-of-8 from the floor and tallied three rebounds and one block.

Jackson and DiMilia each added seven points, while Ristovski had five points and a team-high six rebounds. Bicknell tallied a team-best four assists, while Jackson had three steals.

Detroit Mercy as a team had 11 steals -- the seventh game in 2018-19 of 10 or more steals. Oatis and DiMilia each notched two steals. Detroit Mercy shot 32.1 percent (18-for-56) during the contest and was 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Cleveland State had the rebound margin in the contest, 49-27.

The Titans forced Cleveland State into 24 turnovers overall.

Jade Ely led Cleveland State (5-8 overall, 2-0 HL) with 21 points and a game-high six steals. Mariah Miller added 17 points.

Titan News & Notes
• Lola Ristovski was playing in game No. 100 in her Titan career.
• Miller led the team in scoring for the second time this season and was three points off her career-high of 14, set against Miami (Ohio) earlier this season.
• Detroit Mercy has tallied 84 steals in the past eight contests (10.5 per game).
• It was the seventh game this season that the Titans have tallied more than 10 steals (and sixth in the past eight games).
• Ristovski tallied season-highs in both points (five) and rebounds (six).
• Oatis notched her seventh game of multiple steals this season.
• Jackson is two 3-pointers away from becoming the 16th Titan to record 100 or more 3-pointers made in a career.
• Head coach Bernard Scott and Associate Head Coach Oties Epps were both past assistants with the Vikings.
• It was the 61st meeting all time between the two programs (Detroit Mercy leads, 40-21).

Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the road next weekend, but doesn't need to travel far, meeting Metro Series rival Oakland for the first time this season. The Titans play the Golden Grizzlies in a 7 p.m. game on Friday, Jan. 4 from the O'rena in Rochester.