The Basics
Final Score: Wright State 78, Detroit Mercy 59
Records: Detroit Mercy 3-17 (1-8 HL), Wright State 16-5 (8-1 HL)
Location: Dayton, Ohio (Nutter Center)

DAYTON, Ohio (1/27/2019) -- Freshman guard Jiera Shears tied her career-high with 16 points to lead the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team on Sunday at Wright State, but the Titans fell to the first-place Raiders by a 78-59 margin from the Nutter Center. The game concluded the first half through the league schedule for both teams.

Junior forward Ashley Miller scored nine points and freshmen Jess Bicknell and Sophia DiMilia each added seven points and combined for 13 rebounds for the red, white and blue, which shot 7-of-16 from beyond the arc in the contest. Detroit Mercy also pulled down 41 rebounds, which tied a season-high for the Titans.

Detroit Mercy went 2-of-2 from behind the 3-point arc in the first quarter with DiMilia and Shears each connecting on their first 3-point looks. WSU held a 21-14 lead after one, with DiMilia scoring five first-quarter points. The Raiders extended their lead early in the second quarter, but Detroit Mercy used a 13-2 run to pull within nine points, 36-27, late in the first half.

Miller opened the run with five consecutive points -- the last three on an old-fashioned, and-one 3-point play. Shears then sank two free throws for seven-straight Titan points and Shears followed with her second 3-pointer of the first half. Detroit Mercy cut its deficit in half with the 10-0 run to pull within 10, 34-24, with 3:34 left before the halftime break.

After a Wright State jumper, senior guard Lola Ristovski nailed a 3-point jumper from the corner to cap off the 13-2 run. Wright State scored the final four points to take a 40-27 halftime lead. Shears had eight points in the first half and Miller added seven for Detroit Mercy.

Detroit Mercy came out of the halftime break on fire from deep as Bicknell swished a 3-pointer from the corner to open the third quarter. The two teams then traded buckets with freshman forward Paige Bellman sinking two-straight 3-pointers as the red, white and blue opened the second half on a quick 9-4 run to pull within eight points, 44-36.

Senior guard Brittney Jackson made it an 11-4 run and trimmed the Wright State lead to six, 44-38, after flying down the lane and converting on a lay-up. Wright State would scored the next three buckets, however, to regain a double-figure advantage over the Titans. After three quarter, the red, white and blue trailed to Wright State, 59-44.

Shears, who scored the final three points in the third quarter, scored the first three Titan points early in the fourth stanza as she converted from the free throw line and then sank a jumper with 7:52 remaining in the game. Her six-straight points put her in double-figures in scoring for the second time in her Titan career.

Shears added a pair from the free throw line after a strong drive to the hoop to finish with 16, tying her career-high she set earlier this season at Bowling Green on Dec. 17. Wright State would keep pace with the Titans down the stretch to pull away for the victory.

It was a balanced scoring attack from the Titans overall with seven players scoring more than five points. Bellman had six points and two steals, while junior Zoey Oatis and Jackson each added five points for the Titans. Miller added six rebounds and one block.

The Titans shot 27.9 percent (17-for-61), but did hit on a 43.8 percent clip (7-for-16) from behind the 3-point line. The Titans also sank 18-of-29 from the free throw line. The seven 3-pointers made by Detroit Mercy tied the second most triples made in a game this season.

Detroit Mercy held Wright State to 6-of-27 from beyond the arc (22.2 percent). The Titans entered the contest No. 1 in the Horizon League in 3-point field goal defense (28.2 on the season). The Titans held the edge in bench points (27-21) and also forced the Raiders into 16 turnovers.

Titan News & Notes
• The Titans tied a season-high with 41 rebounds which they had done two times previously -- at UIC and against Michigan-Dearborn in the season opener.
• Detroit Mercy's 29 defensive rebounds were also a season-high with everyone on the team grabbing at least one defensive board.
• Jiera Shears scored in double figures for the second time in her freshman season and tied her career-high with 16 points.
• Bicknell surpassed her career-high in rebound with eight. Her previous career-best was four caroms.
• Bellman tallied two more steals for her 10th multiple steal game this season. She leads all Horizon League freshmen in steals (31) and steals per game (1.6).
• Detroit Mercy sank seven 3-pointers -- all in the first three quarters -- which ranked as the second-most from the Titans in 2018-19 (season-high is nine at Bowling Green).
• The Titans are in a three-way tie for the eighth and final spot in the Horizon League Championship race with Oakland and UIC.
• It was the 55th meeting all-time in women's basketball between the two programs (Titans lead, 28-27).

Up Next
Detroit Mercy is back on the road next weekend, playing a pair of games in Ohio against Cleveland State on Thursday, Jan. 31 and then Youngstown State on Saturday, Feb. 2. After the finish of a four-game road swing, Detroit Mercy has five of seven contests at home to finish the regular season, starting with a Feb. 9 game against Metro Series rival Oakland.