DETROIT (12/3/2019) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball squad opens a month of December at home with its fifth annual Field Trip Day game, as the Titans host old Horizon League foe Valparaiso in an 11 a.m. game Thursday morning from Calihan Hall. The game may be seen live via ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN Applications with Denny Kapp calling all of the action.

Detroit Mercy is expecting nearly 4,000 kids and fans for Thursday's contest with several area schools heading to Calihan Hall during the school day. Admission into the contest is free for all fans. The Titans have hosted 11,973 fans in the previous four Field Trip Day games, including the third-largest crowd all-time of 4,127 against Bowling Green on Nov. 13, 2017.

The Titans have four-straight games at home during the month of December, hosting Valparaiso on Thursday before welcoming Toledo to Calihan Hall on Saturday, Dec. 14 in the opener of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team. Detroit Mercy then plays host to Eastern Michigan in another doubleheader with the Titan men's squad on Saturday, Dec. 21.

On The Court:

• The Titans are meeting old league rival Valparaiso for the first time since the 2016-17 season -- when the two opponents split, each winning at home. Detroit Mercy is 16-11 all-time against the Crusaders, which includes a 9-5 mark in contests from Calihan Hall. Head coach Bernard Scott is 3-2 all-time against the Crusaders, winning both matchups at home, the last an 85-60 victory on Dec. 29, 2016 from Calihan Hall.
• Four Titan freshmen have scored in double figures so far this season -- with Markyia McCormick (15 points vs. Tennessee Tech) and Bridgid Fox (12 points vs. Sacred Heart) both netting in double figures for the first times in their careers at the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas last week.
• Freshman guard Sylare Starks was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week on Monday, Nov. 25 after she averaged 12.5 points and shot 50-percent from behind the 3-point arc (4-of-8) in a pair of games. She leads the team with five double-figure scoring efforts, including a Titan season-high 19 points against Sacred Heart on Nov. 29.
• Detroit Mercy shot 48.9 percent in a 66-60 loss to Sacred Heart on Friday, which was the highest percentage since the Titans shot 49-percent at Youngstown State on Feb. 25, 2017.
• Senior Zoey Oatis ranks fifth in the Horizon League and 177th in the country at 2.0 steals per game with 16 thefts in eight contests.
• Starks ranks 12th in the Horizon League in 3-pointers made per game (1.5) and leads the team in both scoring (10.0 ppg) and 3-pointers made (12). She ranks third among Horizon League freshmen in scoring, behind IUPUI's Natalie Andersen and Northern Kentucky's Ivy Turner.
• Detroit Mercy plays four-straight at home during the month of December -- hosting Valparaiso (Dec. 5), Toledo (Dec. 14), Eastern Michigan (Dec. 21) and Oakland (Dec. 28).
• Head coach Bernard Scott is in his fifth season at the helm of the Titans and has led them to two top-four finishes and a Horizon League championship game in 2017.
• The Titans were picked to finish in ninth place in the 2019-20 Horizon League Preseason Poll.

Field Trip Day History
The Titans are set to host their fifth annual Field Trip Day from Calihan Hall on Thursday, Dec. 5. against old Horizon League foe Valparaiso. Detroit Mercy has hosted nearly 12,000 fans including the first game against UIC on Feb. 11, 2016. The Titans had the third-largest crowd for a women's basketball game in school history with the third version of Field Trip Day in 2017 with 4,127 fans. The Titans are expecting nearly 4,000 kids for the 2019-20 Field Trip Day against Valparaiso.

• 3,106 -- Nov. 29, 2018 vs. Omaha
• 4,127 -- Nov. 13, 2017 vs. Bowling Green
• 3,117 -- Nov. 30, 2016 vs. George Mason
• 1,623 -- Feb. 11, 2016 vs. UIC
• 11,973 -- TOTAL

A look at the top announced women's basketball home crowds in school history -- three of the top-eight are Field Trip Day (*) games:

• 4,798 (Feb. 10, 2001 vs. Green Bay)
• 4,742 (Nov. 24, 1979 vs. #1-Old Dominion)
• 4,127 (Nov. 13, 2017 vs. Bowling Green) *
• 3,865 (Nov. 23, 1979 vs. LSU)
• 3,502 (Feb. 8, 2001 vs. Milwaukee)
• 3,218 (Jan. 24, 2004 vs. Green Bay)
• 3,117 (Nov. 30, 2016 vs. George Mason) *
• 3,106 (Nov. 29, 2018 vs. Omaha) *

Scouting Valparaiso
Valparaiso is 3-3 on the season and has won its past two contests -- 95-90 over Bowling Green at home in overtime and 61-54 at Toledo on Nov. 27. The Crusaders have fallen to Ohio State, North Dakota and Northwestern and also have a victory over North Dakota State. Valpo is 2-2 in true road contests this season. The Crusaders are coming off an 8-24 season overall and are in their second season under head coach Mary Evans.

Valparaiso has two players averaging in double figures in Addison Stoller (11.5 ppg) and Grace Hales (10.0 ppg), while freshman Carie Weinman (9.0 ppg) has sank a team-best 14 triples. Stoller leads the team in rebounding at 6.0 caroms per game and Shay Frederick has a team-high 23 assists. Valpo is shooting 75.4 percent from the free throw line, 48th in the country.

Last Time Out
Detroit Mercy dropped a pair of contests at the 2019 South Point Shootout, nearly coming from behind in a 66-60 setback to Sacred Heart on Nov. 29, before falling to Tennessee Tech, 69-47, the following day on Nov. 30 from Las Vegas.

Sylare Starks led all Titans against SHU, totaling a career-high 19 points. Bridgid Fox added a career-high 12 points and seven boards and the Titans shot 48-percent in the contest and out-rebounded Sacred Heart. Against Tennessee Tech, freshman guard Markyia McCormick tallied a career-high 15 points -- 11 after halftime -- and Zoey Oatis added 11 for the Titans.

Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the court on Saturday, Dec. 14, hosting Mid-American Conference opponent Toledo in the opener of a basketball doubleheader from Calihan Hall with the Titan men's basketball team. The Titans' game against the Rockets begins at 12 p.m. ET, with the men's game following at 3 p.m. on Dick Vitale Court.