The Basics
Final Score: Oakland 76, Detroit Mercy 65
Records: Detroit Mercy 3-20 (1-11 HL), Oakland 5-18 (2-10 HL)
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Calihan Hall)
DETROIT (2/9/2019) -- Freshman wing
Sophia DiMilia scored a career-high 20 points and the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team battled back-and-forth with rival Oakland all game long, but the Golden Grizzlies pulled away in the final minutes in a 76-65 setback on Saturday from Calihan Hall.
DiMilia was one of three Titans in double figures, with classmate
Paige Bellman adding 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks and senior
Lola Ristovski added 10 points off the bench for the Titans. DiMilia sank four of the season-high 10 triples made by the red, white and blue. Detroit Mercy also had a season-high 18 assists, six from senior
Brittney Jackson.
The Titans jumped off to a hot start with freshmen
Alex Burr and DiMilia -- both making their first collegiate starts -- scoring the first two buckets of the contest as Detroit Mercy led 4-0 at the 7:11 mark of the first quarter. DiMilia added another bucket on a strong drive down the lane and then Bellman drilled a 3-pointer off a feed from DiMilia as the Titans went on a 9-2 run in the first 7:30 of the game.
Bellman added another lay-up and Ristovski sank two free throws in the final minute of the first quarter as Detroit Mercy led after one, 13-8. Burr sank her first collegiate 3-pointer early in the second stanza before DiMilia knocked down a trey and then added a lay-up on the next possession as the Titans earned a 21-15 advantage with 5:56 left in the second.
After Oakland took a 29-22 lead, the Titans went on a 8-0 run in just 46 seconds with freshman
Jiera Shears hitting a 3-pointer from the corner and then the next time down, finding Bellman for a lay-up inside. Bellman then scored an old-fashioned 3-point play giving her 10 points in the first half as Detroit Mercy went ahead 30-29 with 1:31 left before the halftime break. Shears converted on a tough lay-up in the final minute of the first half, but the Golden Grizzlies scored five points in the final 29 seconds of the half to take a 34-32 halftime lead.
Detroit Mercy came out of the halftime break on fire again, scoring the first 10 points of the second half. Freshman guard
Jess Bicknell converted on a jumper, Bellman followed with a lay-up and DiMilia then hit a 3-pointer off a feed from Jackson. DiMilia then found Bicknell for a trey as Detroit Mercy led 42-34 with 7:07 left in the third quarter.
After Oakland countered with a run, DiMilia connected on her third triple of the contest to knot the score, 45-45, with 3:52 left in the stanza. The Golden Grizzlies led after three, 52-47. Bellman opened the fourth quarter with a wide-open lay-up after a great feed from Ristovski, but Oakland scored the next eight points to go up 11, 60-49, with 7:50 remaining.
The Titans were undeterred, clawing back to within six as Detroit Mercy used a 7-2 run midway through the frame to cut the deficit to 66-60 with 2:57 left. Ristovski began the run with a lay-up in the paint and then DiMilia followed with her fourth triple, this time from the corner. Jackson then scored off an Oakland 3-point miss on the fast break to trim the deficit to two possessions.
Ristovski connected on a 3-pointer with 1 minute to go, but Oakland freshman guard Kahlaijah Dean followed with her ninth triple of the game just seconds later and the Golden Grizzlies would make three free throws in the final minute to help seal the victory.
DiMilia was 8-of-19 shooting from the floor overall in the game. She added three steals and two assists. Bellman led the Titans with eight boards, hitting 6-of-11 shots. She had three of the four Titan blocks. Detroit Mercy as a team, shot 41.4 percent from the floor (24-for-58), while hitting 10-of-30 shots from beyond the arc.
Every played had at least one assist in the game with five players tallying multiple helpers. Detroit Mercy had 18 assists total against 17 turnovers. Detroit Mercy had 30 rebounds, while Oakland pulled down 47 caroms in the game. The Titan defense forced 19 Oakland turnovers.
Dean led all players with a career-high 30 points, hitting nine 3-pointers.
Titan News & Notes
• The Titans tallied season-highs in both 3-pointers made (10) and assists (18).
• Detroit Mercy shot 40-percent or better from the floor for the ninth time this season.
• It was DiMilia's fourth game scoring in double figures as she passed her previous career-high of 14 at Toledo on Dec. 21.
• Her four 3-pointers made also was a career-best and tied the Titan single-season high with classmates Bellman and Shears.
• Bellman tied her career-high in points (14) as she also had 14 earlier in the season at Eastern Michigan on Dec. 5.
• Bellman's eight boards were her fifth game of eight or more boards; She also had her fourth game of three blocks in 2018-19.
• Jackson's six assists were a season-high and just two off her career-high; She has 17 assists in her past four games.
• Burr and DiMilia were both making their first collegiate starts.
• Detroit Mercy is 15-14 all-time against Oakland in 29 career meetings.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to court with two home games next weekend, hosting UIC on Thursday, Feb. 14 on Valentine's Day before welcoming IUPUI to Calihan Hall for a Saturday, Feb. 16 match-up against the Jaguars. Saturday's game is National Girls & Women in Sports Day as well as the Titans' Pink Game.
