DETROIT (11/19/2019) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team closes a four-game stretch on the road Wednesday night, visiting Western Michigan for a battle with the Broncos at 7 p.m. from University Arena in Kalamazoo. It's the first of four games against the Mid-American Conference during the non-league portion of the regular season.
The game is slated to be seen live via ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN Applications. Admission into the contest is $6 for general admission tickets.
The Titans are looking for their first win of the 2019-20 season and are coming off a 75-62 road setback on Saturday against George Mason. Sophomore forward
Nicole Johanson tallied her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while freshman guard
Sylare Starks added a career-best 12 points and sophomore forward
Maxine Moore added 12 points for the Titans.
Detroit Mercy plays two games this week, returning home for a noon contest on Saturday, with the Titans hosting Akron from Calihan Hall.
On The Court:
- Titan sophomore forward Maxine Moore played her freshman season for the Broncos a year ago. She transferred to Detroit Mercy over the summer. She currently leads the Titans in scoring at 9.3 points per game and rebounding at 5.3 caroms per game through four games and has scored in double figures in each of her past three contests.
- Sophomore forward Nicole Johanson, a transfer from Valparaiso, had a big game at George Mason, going for career-highs across the board with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. She averaged 9.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and two blocks, shooting 61-percent last week in a pair of road games.
- Freshman guard Sylare Starks has also scored in double figures in each of her past two games, scoring 10 points at Butler and then 12 points at George Mason. She leads the squad in 3-pointers made (six) and steals (six) through four contests, all starts, for the Titans.
- Both senior guard/forward Zoey Oatis and Johanson rank in the top-10 in the Horizon League in blocks per game with Oatis averaging 1.3 and Johanson blocking 1.0 shots per game. As a team, the Titans have 13 blocks through four games, which ranks third in the Horizon League.
- Moore and Johanson are both in the top-20 in the league in rebounding -- with Moore ranking 14th at 5.3 boards per game and Johanson in 17th at 5.0 caroms per contest in the HL.
- All five starters for the Titans are averaging better than 6.0 points per game -- with Moore leading the way at 9.3 points per game.
- Detroit Mercy is 14-19 all-time against Western Michigan in the all-time series between the two programs.
- 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.
- The red, white and blue are in their fifth season under head coach Bernard Scott and were picked to finish ninth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll.
- Detroit Mercy then heads to Las Vegas for the South Point Shootout on Nov. 29-30, marking six of eight games away from Calihan Hall during the first month of the regular season.
Scouting Western Michigan:
- The Broncos are 1-1 on the young 2019-20 season with a season-opening loss at Michigan (76-55), before notching an 80-41 triumph at home over Division III Kentucky State last Thursday. WMU is in its eighth season under head coach Shane Clipfell.
- Sophomore Jordan Walker leads the team in scoring after two games at 16.5 points per game, with freshman Sydney Shafer and senior Breanna Mobley both averaging in double figures at 11.5 points and 10.5 points, respectively.
- Mobley also leads the team in rebounding at 7.5 caroms per game. Walker has sank four 3-pointers in two games and has added four steals and four assists.
- The Broncos are shooting 34.4 percent from the floor and 72.3 percent from the free throw line.
Last Time Out
The Titans held a halftime lead at George Mason on Saturday, Nov. 16, leading 33-30 after a 24-point second quarter, but the red, white and blue were unable to hang onto the lead in a 75-62 setback in Virginia.
Nicole Johanson led the offensive attack with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, while freshman guard
Sylare Starks and sophomore forward
Maxine Moore each added 12 points for the Titans, as the duo combined for four 3-pointers.
Detroit Mercy shot 41-percent in the contest (25-for-61) and had five blocks. Junior
Aly Reiff tallied nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, while senior
Zoey Oatis collected five points, five caroms and two blocks. Freshman guard
Annika Corcoran had a team-high three assists for the Titans, which had 12 helpers overall.
Career Night for Johanson
Sophomore forward
Nicole Johanson posted a career night in her fourth game as a Titan and seventh collegiate game overall, tallying 12 points and 11 rebounds, adding three blocks in just 22 minutes at George Mason on Nov. 16. Johanson shot 5-of-10 from the floor and sank both free throw shots.
It was her first double-figure scoring effort and first career game or 10 or more rebounds as well. She had career-highs across the board off the bench for the Titans and averaged 9.5 points, 7.0 boards and 2.0 blocks last week after sinking all three field goals, scoring seven points and adding three rebounds and a block at Butler just three days prior.
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 welcomes Akron to Calihan Hall for a noon contest on Saturday and then hits the road again for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, heading to Las Vegas for the South Pointe Shootout, where the red, white and blue will play in two contests in back-to-back days. Detroit Mercy plays Sacred Heart on Friday, Nov. 29 before playing Tennessee Tech the following day on Saturday, Nov. 30.
