The Basics
Final Score: Valparaiso 77, Detroit Mercy 58
Records: Detroit Mercy 0-9, Valparaiso 4-3
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Calihan Hall)

DETROIT (12/5/2019) -- In front of a Field Trip Day-record crowd of 4,574 fans from 23 local schools on Thursday morning, the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team was knocked off by visiting Valparaiso, falling 77-58 from Calihan Hall. The attendance was the largest in the five Field Trip Day games under head coach Bernard Scott and the third-largest women's home crowd at Calihan Hall in the 43-year program history.

Senior Zoey Oatis led three Titans in double figures with a near double-double of 14 points and eight rebounds, adding four steals. Freshman guard Markyia McCormick scored in double figures for the second-straight game tallying 12 points and sophomore forward Maxine Moore added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Detroit Mercy, which shot 42.0 percent in the contest.

Both Detroit Mercy and Valparaiso came out firing in the first quarter and the game was tied, 13-13, at the media timeout in the first stanza. McCormick nailed two 3-pointers in the opening five minutes of the game, with junior Aly Reiff adding a triple in the opening 90 seconds of the contest. McCormick gave Detroit Mercy a 15-13 lead as she reached eight points early on a jumper. McCormick got to 10 points in the opening stanza with two free throws, but Valparaiso held a 20-19 edge after one quarter.

The Crusaders went on an 11-2 run to open the second quarter to take a 31-21 lead over Detroit Mercy, but the Titans chipped away at the Valpo advantage, going on a 6-0 run of their own with Moore scoring four-straight points and then Oatis scoring on a lay-up in the paint. The Titans then made it an 11-2 run overall to cut the deficit to one, 33-32, with sophomore forward and Valparaiso transfer Nicole Johanson scoring in the paint off an assist from Moore.

Valparaiso then went on a run of its own and held a 44-34 halftime lead over the Titans. McCormick scored 12 points in the first half with Oatis adding six points and six rebounds by the halftime break. The Titans shot 50-percent in the opening half, including nailing four 3-pointers.

Neither team could find its offensive footing early in the third stanza, with neither team scoring in the opening two minutes of the quarter. Detroit Mercy continued to chip away at the Valpo advantage and pulled within six points, 51-45, on a 6-0 run after freshman guard Annika Corcoran converted on a lay-up in the paint, Oatis finished off her own offensive rebound and then Johanson sinking a pair from the free-throw line. The Crusaders would score the final five points of the third quarter, however, to lead 56-45 after three.

Valparaiso continued to hit shots early in the fourth quarter and pulled away down the stretch from the Titans.

Johanson added six points and three rebounds, sinking both field goals and both of her free throw shots against her old squad. Corcoran added five points. Oatis and sophomore guard Jiera Shears each added three assists.

Titan News & Notes
• Detroit Mercy has hosted 16,547 fans across its five Field Trip Day games (average of 3,309 per Field Trip Day game).
• The home crowd for a women's basketball game at Calihan Hall is the third largest all-time only behind 4,798 fans on Feb. 10, 2001 against Green Bay and 4,742 fans on Nov. 24, 1979 against #1-Old Dominion.
• Oatis scored in double figures in the fourth game of the season and 18th time overall in her career.
• Oatis tallied four steals in a game for the third contest this season.
• Detroit Mercy shot above 40-percent in the fourth game of the season
• McCormick tallied her second-straight game in double figures, scoring 12 points in the first half.
• Moore scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and seventh time in her career.
• It was the fifth annual Field Trip Day game from Calihan Hall for a women's basketball game.
• It was the 28th meeting with Valparaiso -- an old HL rival -- and first since 2016-17 (Titans lead series, 16-12).

Up Next
The Titans are home for the entire month of December and are off for eight days competitively before hosting Toledo on Saturday, Dec. 14 in a doubleheader with the Detroit Mercy men's basketball squad from Calihan Hall. Both teams play Toledo on Saturday. It's also Alumni Day for both squads from Calihan Hall.