The Basics
Final Score: #8 Northern Kentucky 76, #9 Detroit Mercy 61
Records: Detroit Mercy 2-28, Northern Kentucky 9-21
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Little Caesars Arena)

DETROIT (3/2/2018) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team fell 76-61 in the first round of the 2018 Horizon League Championship on Friday afternoon, seeing its 2017-18 season come to a close in the setback from Little Caesars Arena.

Three Titans scored in double figures with senior guard Nicole Urbanick leading the way with 13 points. Junior guard Brittney Jackson followed with 12 points, while sophomore guard Anja Marinkovic added 10 points. Sophomore Zoey Oatis tallied nine points and senior Brianne Cohen had eight points and a team-best four assists in her final game for the Titans.

Detroit Mercy came out strong in the game, scoring the first seven points on the strength of two 3-pointers from Urbanick. The second triple forced Northern Kentucky into a timeout. The Norse then scored the next six points, but Detroit Mercy again used a run, started by a Lexey Tobel trey.

After a Tobel free throw, Oatis scored on the fast break off a great pass near the baseline from junior Gracie Roberts for an easy lay-up. Oatis then scored again just 20 seconds later on another lay-up as Detroit Mercy used an 8-0 run to go up 15-6 with 2:42 left in the first.

Oatis scored her sixth-straight point after another lay-up with 1:49 left in the stanza and the Titans led after one, 17-12.

The Norse opened the second quarter on a run of their own to take a 22-17 lead, but Detroit Mercy came right back as Jackson scored on a long jumper and then 3-pointer for five-straight points. Marinkovic then converted on a lay-up as Detroit Mercy knotted the game, 24-24, with 4:39 remaining.

Jackson's jumper with 1:14 left in the opening half gave Detroit Mercy a 29-28 lead, but the Norse sank two triples in the final minute to take a 34-29 halftime lead.

Northern Kentucky opened the second half with five-straight points to take a 10-point lead and upped the advantage to 18 late in the third quarter. Still, the Titans fought early in the fourth quarter.

Junior guard Lola Ristovski and Jackson sank back-to-back 3-pointers, both in front of the Titan bench, and Detroit Mercy trimmed the NKU lead to 10, 55-45, with plenty of time left on the clock.

It would prove to be as close as the Titans would get, as NKU continued to convert in the paint and from the free throw line. Urbanick sank her third triple of the game as Detroit Mercy trailed 67-54 with 3:38 left, but NKU scored the next five points to help seal the outcome.

The Titans shot 37-percent (19-of-51) in the contest, including 7-of-21 from beyond the arc. Detroit Mercy was effective from the free throw line, sinking 16-of-20 (80 percent) shots. NKU was 38-percent from the floor during the game, but had a large rebounding margin, 53-22.

Detroit Mercy had 12 assists and a season-low nine turnovers. The Titans also had nine steals, which were the third-most on the season.

Sophomore Ashley Miller tallied three blocks in the contest, while Marinkovic had three steals. Tobel led the Titans with seven rebounds.

Three seniors wrapped up their Titan careers -- Brianne Cohen, Cortney Williams and Nicole Urbanick. All three were part of the team that reached the title game of the Horizon League Championship last season. Cohen wrapped up her career seventh in career scoring with 1,438 points and top-10 in many other categories, while Urbanick ended her standout career with 242 career 3-pointers, the most all-time, and No. 19 in career scoring (1,165 points).

Titan News & Notes
• Cohen went into a tie-for-eighth in career games played (118), while Urbanick moved into a tie-for-10th (117).
• Cohen moved into fourth place in career free-throws made (335).
• Miller's three blocks gave her 25 on the season, tops on the squad.
• Urbanick drilled three more 3-pointers, finishing her career with 242, No. 1 all-time.
• The Titans made seven 3-pointers, giving them 209 on the season and 704 during head coach Bernard Scott's tenure.
• Cohen's four assists during the contest were a career-best.
• Detroit Mercy's nine turnovers were a season low.
• It was the first meeting between the Titans and NKU in postseason play.