The Basics
Final Score: Milwaukee 59, Detroit Mercy 34
Records: Detroit Mercy 4-22 (2-13 HL), Milwaukee 13-13 (8-7 HL)
Location: Milwaukee, Wis. (Klotsche Center)

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (2/21/2019) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team opened the final road trip of the regular season Thursday night, dropping a 59-34 contest to host Milwaukee from the Klotsche Center in Milwaukee.

Freshman guard Jiera Shears led the Titans with seven points. Freshmen Paige Bellman and Alex Burr each added six points, while junior wing Zoey Oatis also had six points. Bellman had a team-best seven rebounds, while freshman Sophia DiMilia collected a career-high four steals, with Detroit Mercy adding seven more steals on the season.

The Titans shot 20 percent in the contest (11-for-54), while Milwaukee shot at a 41-percent clip (25-for-61), including sinking six 3-pointers. The Panthers also had the edge in rebounding, 48-31. The red, white and blue had six blocks on the night, a season-high against a Division I opponent and the most since eight in the season opener against Michigan-Dearborn.

Detroit Mercy was unable to find its rhythm early in the contest as the Panthers went on an 18-0 run to begin the game. After freshman Jess Bicknell sank a pair of free throws, Oatis scored on an old-fashioned 3-point play early in the second quarter, converting on a drive to the hoop and then sinking the ensuing free throw. She led the Titans in the first half with five points, while Bellman had five rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. The Titans trailed at the halftime break, 37-13.

Burr scored six of the 11 Titan points in the third quarter, hitting a triple to open the stanza and then sinking a jumper later in the quarter before sinking a free throw with just seconds left before the end of the third frame. The red, white and blue opened the fourth quarter on a 7-4 run with Bellman knocking down a 3-pointer and then Shears and DiMilia each converting on lay-ups, DiMilia's after a steal and then sinking on the fast break. Shears connected on a 3-pointer late in the contest.

Milwaukee took control of the game early and never relented, winning for the second time this season over the Titans.

Five different players had blocks in the game with Oatis leading the team with two swats. Every Titan also scored in the contest and four players had better than five rebounds with Bellman leading the way with seven. Burr, DiMilia and Oatis all each had five caroms for Detroit Mercy. DiMilia's four steals put her over 30 on the season.

Detroit Mercy increased its team steal total to 219 the best for the squad since 236 steals the Titans had as a team in 2010-11.

Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the court on Saturday, visiting Green Bay for a 2 p.m. ET contest against the Phoenix from the Kress Events Center. The Titans return home for the final weekend of the regular season, hosting Wright State on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET from Calihan Hall before hosting Northern Kentucky for Senior Day on Saturday, March 2. Both home games are doubleheaders with the Titan men's basketball team next weekend.