EAST LANSING, Mich. (12/2/2020) -- University of Detroit Mercy sophomore guard Sylare Starks scored a game-high 18 points in the Titans first road test of the 2020-21 season Wednesday evening, but the red, white and blue fell to Big Ten host Michigan State, 82-45, from the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

Starks made 3-of-5 shots from outside the arc, among her seven field goals overall, playing nearly the entire game (39 minutes). Fellow sophomore guard Markyia McCormick added nine points and junior guard Kaela Webb collected seven assists, six rebounds and three steals for the Titans (0-3). Sophomore forward Sammiyah Hoskin had a team-high-tying six rebounds.

The Titans used a couple of big offensive runs in the game early to stick close to the Spartans on the scoreboard, including one near the start of the game.

After Michigan State went up 10-3 early in the contest, the Titans used a 9-2 run to pull even with Michigan State, 12-12, at the 4:00 mark of the first quarter. Webb made a runner to open the run and it was followed by a putback by junior forward Nicole Johanson on the block as she tipped the ball back in off a Titan miss. Starks then scored five consecutive Titan points, swishing a long jumper and then after a MSU basket, sinking a long 3-pointer from the top of the key as Detroit Mercy tied the game.

McCormick would make a 3-pointer of her own later in the first quarter off a feed from Webb, who swished a long jumper just inside the 3-point line in the final minute of the first quarter as the Titans trailed just 21-17 after one.

Starks made another 3-pointer just 2 minutes into the second quarter and midway through the frame, Webb stole the ball and fed sophomore forward Bridgid Fox, who pulled the Titans to within four points again, 26-22, with 6:11 left in the stanza. The Spartans would go on a run of their own, but Detroit Mercy scored the final points of the first half, with Starks getting to 10 points in the opening frame on a pull-up jumper that kissed the glass and went down.

The Titans trailed at the halftime break, 36-24, but out-shot MSU in the opening 20 minutes, hitting 10-of-24 field goal attempts (41.6%). The Spartans shot 35% in the opening half.

MSU went ahead 46-26 early in the third quarter, but the Titans showed their fight once again, using an 8-0 run to pull to within 12 points, 46-34. McCormick scored the first four points of the run on consecutive trips down the court, scoring on a jumper and then on a lay-up after another Webb steal. Starks then sank a jumper before Webb found Fox for an easy lay-in off an inbounds feed from underneath the basket.

Michigan State would then go on a run of its own to close out the third quarter with Starks hitting her third trey of the game late in the stanza as the Titans trailed after three, 58-37. The Spartans sealed the game in the fourth quarter as the Titan offense had trouble gaining momentum during the final stanza.

Freshman guard Maddie Puletti would score her first collegiate point late in the contest, splitting a pair of free throws with 1:49 left on the clock.

Detroit Mercy shot 36% overall (18-for-50) in the contest and made 4-of-16 (25%) shots from beyond the 3-point arc. The Titans had 10 assists in the game and added five steals, three by Webb. Johanson added five points, four rebounds and one block in her second start of the season.

Nia Clouden led Michigan State (2-0) with 15 points as the Spartans shot 32-for-72 (44.4%) on field goals.

Titan News & Notes
• Starks' first double-figure scoring effort of 2020-21 was also just one off her career-high of 19, set last season at Youngstown State.
• Starks sank three of the four Titan 3-point field goals, her seventh career game of three or more made triples in her first 33 career games.
• Webb's seven assists were one off her career-high and the second-straight contest a Titan player has totaled seven assists (Alicia Norman vs. Indiana State).
• Head coach AnnMarie Gilbert was making a homecoming of sorts in the game at MSU; She was an assistant coach for the Spartans for five seasons (2002-07).
• It was the 30th meeting all-time between the Titans and Michigan State in women's basketball (MSU leads series, 23-7).

Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the court Saturday, playing in its final non-league contest of the 2020-21 campaign when the Titans battle Mid-American Conference foe Toledo from Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio. The 2 p.m. ET contest is slated to be streamed live on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN Applications.