The Basics
Final Score: Milwaukee 63, Detroit Mercy 48
Records: Detroit Mercy 1-14 (1-3 HL), Milwaukee 5-10 (2-2 HL)
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Calihan Hall)

DETROIT (1/9/2020) -- Senior Zoey Oatis had one of her top performances of the 2019-20 season, totaling 19 points and 12 rebounds Thursday evening, but the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team dropped a 63-48 contest to Milwaukee from Calihan Hall.

It was Oatis' fourth career double-double and second this season. Oatis sank 8-of-11 field goal attempts in the game and was one rebound shy of her career-high with her 12 caroms. Freshman guard Sylare Starks added 13 points for the red, white and blue in the setback.

Both teams came out gunning on Thursday with the team's trading buckets early as it was a 4-4 game just 90 seconds in. Oatis started off strong, converting on a field goal in the paint, before feeding freshman forward Bridgid Fox the next time down the court as Detroit Mercy sank its first two shots. Two minutes later, Oatis made a lay-up and Detroit Mercy held an 8-7 lead at the media timeout after sophomore Alex Burr dished a pass to junior Aly Reiff, who finished on the block.

Milwaukee would take an 18-10 lead late in the first quarter, but after a Titan timeout, Starks scored the final five points of the stanza, hitting a 3-pointer from the corner and then sinking a bucket on the fast break just seconds later. The Panthers held an 18-15 lead after the opening 10 minutes.

Oatis swished a 3-pointer early in the second quarter after Milwaukee converted on a triple of its own and neither team could find the bottom of the bucket for the next several minutes as the defensive pressure was upped on both ends. Starks and Oatis sank back-to-back field goals with less than four minutes left in the half to cut the deficit to four, 26-22, but Milwaukee countered with two of its own field goals to lead 30-22 with 1:10 left in the second quarter. After Starks sank a jumper in the paint with under one minute left, Milwaukee's Jamie Reit drilled a half-court heave that was banked off-glass as the Titans trailed 33-24 at the halftime break. Oatis (11 points) and Starks (nine) combined for 20 of the 24 points for the Titans in the opening half.

Milwaukee took a 13-point lead early in the third quarter, but sophomore Maxine Moore and Fox sank back-to-back field goals to cut the Milwaukee lead back down to single digits. Later, Oatis sank her second 3-point field goal of the game to again trim the lead down to nine, but Milwaukee kept pace with Detroit Mercy and led, 50-38, after three quarters.

Starks opened the fourth quarter with her fifth field goal of the contest to trim the Panther advantage down to 10, 50-40, but the Panthers responded with a 3-pointer and pulled away down the stretch.

Oatis went 2-of-3 from 3-point range among her eight field goals made. She had four offensive rebounds and added two steals and one block in the game. Starks made 6-of-16 shots for the Titans, while Fox added five points and both Reiff and Moore had four points for the red, white and blue. Freshman guard Annika Corcoran and Reiff also each had two steals for the Titans.

Detroit Mercy tallied nine steals in the game and had just 13 turnovers, while forcing Milwaukee into 24 turnovers as a squad. The Titans shot 33.3-percent (21-of-63), sinking 3-of-22 attempts from the outside. Milwaukee connected on 23-of-61 field goals (37.7 percent), sinking 9-of-23 shots from deep (39.1 percent). The Panthers also held the rebounding advantage, 51-31.

The Titans also held the lead in points in the paint, 34-28.

Milwaukee's Lizzie Odegard had a team-high 14 points, while Brandi Bisping added 13 points and Emma Wittmershaus pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds for the Panthers (5-10, 2-2 HL).

Titan News & Notes
• Oatis tallied her fourth career double-double and second this season (she had a double-double at home against Akron).
• Her 19 points was a season-high and 19th career double-figure scoring effort (fifth this season).
• Oatis' 12 rebounds were one off her career-high set at Youngstown State during her sophomore season and was her fourth career game with 10 or more caroms.
• Starks was in double figures for the team-best ninth time in her freshman campaign.
• The Titans tallied nine steals in the game and have 8.8 steals per game across their past four games.
• Oatis notched multiple steals on Thursday for the fifth-straight contest and 11th time in 15 games in 2019-20.
• The 63 points allowed were the second fewest this season and second time in three games the Titans have held a squad to 63 or fewer (62 points in win over UIC).
• Detroit Mercy was playing Milwaukee for the 58th time in women's basketball (Panthers hold series lead, 30-28).

Up Next
The Titans return to the court on Saturday, hosting Green Bay in a 1 p.m. ET contest from Calihan Hall. It's the second contest in a four-game homestand in Detroit over the next two weekends.