FAIRFAX, Va. (11/15/2019) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team is back on the road Saturday, playing its third consecutive road contest against George Mason University from Eaglebank Arena in Fairfax, Va. The opening tip for the game is set for 12 p.m. ET and the contest may be seen live on ESPN-Plus.
The Titans (0-3) are looking for their first victory of the 2019-20 campaign. Detroit Mercy opens the season with six of eight games away from Calihan Hall and are currently in the middle of a four-game stretch away from Detroit.
On The Court:
- The Titans are meeting George Mason for just the second time in women's basketball and second time in the past four seasons. Detroit Mercy dropped a 55-54 home game against the Patriots on Nov. 30, 2016 on Field Trip Day from Calihan Hall.
- Detroit Mercy rallied from down 22 points to cut the deficit to nine points at Butler in the fourth quarter, ultimately falling to the Big East Bulldogs on Wednesday night from Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
- The Titans are one of the younger teams in all of Division I with 10 players either freshmen or sophomores; Detroit Mercy has eight new players in 2019-20, including three transfers.
- Freshman Markyia McCormick and sophomore forward Maxine Moore lead the team at 8.3 points per game, while Moore paces the squad at 5.7 rebounds per contest (12th in the Horizon League). Moore has two-straight double figure scoring efforts after scoring a career-high 13 points at Michigan State and then scoring 10 points at Butler on Wednesday.
- Three Titans reached their career-highs in scoring in their last game -- freshman guard Sylare Starks (10 points), freshman guard Markyia McCormick (nine points) and sophomore Nicole Johanson (seven points).
- Senior Zoey Oatis leads the squad with five steals, which also ranks 11th in the Horizon League. Oatis' three blocks is also tied-for-fourth in the conference.
- Detroit Mercy is in its fifth season under head coach Bernard Scott and was picked to finish ninth in the Horizon League.
- The Titans play next week at Western Michigan, before hosting Akron from Calihan Hall on Saturday, Nov. 23. Detroit Mercy then heads to Las Vegas for the South Point Shootout on Nov. 29-30.
Scouting George Mason:
- George Mason is 1-1 on the young season with a 72-61 victory over the College of Charleston on the road and a 77-58 setback to Virginia Tech at home.
- The Patriots went 16-14 last season and 8-8 in the A-10 conference, falling in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament in double overtime to UMass.
- George Mason was 10-5 at home last season.
- Through two games, Nicole Cardano-Hillary leads the squad in scoring at 15.0 points per game, while Tamia Lawhorne also is averaging in double figures at 12.0 points per contest.
- Cardano-Hillary also has seven steals across two games.
- George Mason has connected on 11 3-pointers in two contests and is shooting 35.5 percent from the floor.
- Jacy Bolton and Camarie Gatling each average 6.0 boards per game for the Patriots.
Last Time Out
Detroit Mercy dropped a road contest at Butler on Wednesday, falling 82-60 against their Big East counterparts from historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Titans were playing in their second game away from Detroit in 2019-20. The Titans, which trailed by as many as 22, cut the deficit down to nine points in the fourth quarter after a 13-5 run. Freshman
Markyia McCormick scored six points in the stretch and it was also highlighted by a pair of buckets from sophomore
Nicole Johanson.
Freshman
Sylare Starks and sophomore forward
Maxine Moore each led Detroit Mercy with 10 points in the game. McCormick added nine for the Titans, which shot 38.1 percent from the field during the game. Johanson made all three of her shots and had seven points, while junior
Aly Reiff tallied seven points and four assists.
Tough Non-Conference
Detroit Mercy has another strong non-conference schedule in 2019-20 with the Titans playing five tournament squads and four teams that had better than 20 victories a season ago. A look at the seven non-league opponents that finished with a better-than .500 record in 2018-19:
Opponent -- 2018-19 Record:
- Michigan State (Big Ten, Away) -- 21-12
- Butler (Big East, Away) -- 23-10
- George Mason (A-10, Away) -- 16-14
- Akron (MAC, Home) -- 16-15
- Sacred Heart (NEC, Neutral) -- 19-13
- Tennessee Tech (OVC, Neutral) -- 22-11
- Toledo (MAC, Home) -- 21-12
Titans Ink Two to National Letters of Intent
Detroit Mercy announced the signing of two student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) to play with the Titans. Both prospective student-athletes signed on National Signing Day on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019 at their respective high schools. The two signees are guards
Jaci Jones (Fort Wayne, Ind. / South Side) and
Maddie Puletti (Highland Heights, Ohio / Gilmour Academy) and are set to join Detroit Mercy prior to the 2020-21 academic school year.
Take a look at more information on each player.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the road for another road matchup next week on Wednesday, Nov. 20, playing in-state foe Western Michigan in Kalamazoo. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. start and will be streamed live on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN Applications. The Titans are back home next Saturday, hosting Mid-American Conference opponent Akron at noon from Calihan Hall.
