The Basics
Final Score: Youngstown State 72, Detroit Mercy 52
Records: Detroit Mercy 1-21 (1-10 HL), YSU 10-13, 6-6 HL
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Calihan Hall)
DETROIT (2/3/2018) -- Junior guard
Brittney Jackson scored a career-high 15 points and the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team battled back-and-forth with Youngstown State for three quarters, but the Titans saw the visiting Penguins pull away in the fourth quarter in a 72-52 setback.
Jackson made 6-of-8 shots from the floor, including 3-of-5 from outside the arc for her career-best 15. Sophomore
Anja Marinkovic added 12 points and senior
Brianne Cohen was also in double figures with 11 points. Freshman
Lexey Tobel had a career-best 10 rebounds for the Titans.
The Titans scored 23 points in the third quarter and were tied, 46-46, with YSU with 1:06 left in the stanza after junior
Gracie Roberts sank a long jumper. YSU took an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Detroit Mercy scored four-straight points to pull to within four, 54-50, after consecutive buckets by Cohen and Jackson.
The Penguins scored the next 13 points, however, to take a 67-50 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Titans were 3-of-15 from the floor in the fourth quarter. In the game overall, the Titans shot 32 percent (20-of-61), sinking 4-of-25 shots from beyond the arc.
It was a back-and-forth effort for the first 30 minutes of the contest with both sides showing their defensive prowess in the first quarter as the two team's combined for 17 points in the first 10 minutes. A lot of contested shots on both ends paved the way for a 9-8 YSU lead after one.
Marinkovic opened the second quarter with two free throws and it was followed by Jackson's second 3-pointer of the contest. Jackson gave the Titans a 15-13 lead after a lay-up at the 7:06 mark in the second. Tobel added a 3-pointer off a feed from Roberts to again knot the game, 18-18, midway through the frame.
YSU would go on the take a 32-23 halftime lead. Jackson had eight points at the break for the Titans.
Detroit Mercy came out strong in the third quarter, scoring 10 of the first 12 points in the opening three minutes of the stanza. Marinkovic and Miller scored on back-to-back lay-ups to open the third and Jackson added a trey just minutes later to pull the Titans to within four, 34-30. Marinkovic then converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play to close the run as Detroit Mercy trailed by one, 34-33, just 2:56 into the third.
The third quarter was back-and-forth with Detroit Mercy using another 7-0 run midway through the quarter to again pull within one, 41-40, with 3:09 left in the frame. Cohen scored four points during the 7-0 run. Sophomores
Ashley Miller and
Zoey Oatis sank back-to-back shots late in the frame, each time countering YSU buckets and cutting the deficit to one point. Roberts then tied the game, 46-46, which was as close as the Titans would get.
Miller added seven rebounds and a block for Detroit Mercy. Cohen had two blocks. Roberts tied her season-high with five points, adding two helpers.
Detroit Mercy had a season-low 10 turnovers, while tallying 37 total rebounds, 10 on the offensive end.
Titan News & Notes
• The 10 Titan turnovers were the fewest since Detroit Mercy had just eight at YSU last season, on Feb. 25, 2017.
• Jackson's previous career-high was 13 points earlier this season vs. Wright State.
• Jackson has scored in double figures in five of the 11 HL games.
• Cohen tallied her 17th double-digit scoring effort of the season, in 22 games.
• Tobel had her first 10-rebound game of her Titan career.
• Jackson's three 3-pointers were also a season-high for the guard.
• Cohen has two blocks in each of her past three games and 81 total in her Titan career.
• Cohen is also just four points away from eighth place on the career list and two boards from 500 career caroms.
• Tobel is five rebounds away from becoming the first Titan freshman with a 200-point, 100-rebound season since 2014-15.
• The Titans lead the all-time series with YSU, 23-20.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the road next weekend, visiting Wright State on Thursday and Northern Kentucky on Saturday. Both contests may be seen live via ESPN3.com or the WatchESPN Applications.
