CHICAGO, Ill. (12/20/2020) -- A big third quarter effort from the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team and a balanced scoring attack Sunday afternoon lifted the Titans to their first Horizon League victory of the season as the red, white and blue earned a 72-58 win on the road at UIC.
The Titans (1-7, 1-3 HL), which led by eight at the halftime break, out-scored the Flames 22-10 in a pivotal third quarter as Detroit Mercy upped its advantage to 20 points after three stanzas. The Titans led by as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter, cruising to the road win over UIC, Detroit Mercy's 11th win in the past 14 against the Flames.
Five Titans scored in double figures with sophomore
Bridgid Fox notching her second-straight double-double with game-highs in both points (16) and rebounds (11). Junior
Kaela Webb and sophomore
Sylare Starks both added 15 points and sophomore
Markyia McCormick and senior
Aly Reiff each scored 10 points for the red, white and blue.
Detroit Mercy out-rebounded UIC for the second-straight game, holding the advantage 50-39. The Titans shot 37.9% (25-for-66) from the floor and 83.3% from the free throw line (15-of-18), also sinking 7-of-17 attempts from 3-point range. The Titans forced 17 UIC turnovers and assisted on 15 of 25 buckets.
The game was back-and-forth early as Detroit Mercy led 16-14 after the first quarter. Fox was active during those opening 10 minutes, tallying six points and six rebounds during that stretch. The Titans made all eight free throws in the opening quarter with McCormick's pair of makes from the line in the final minute of the stanza giving the Titans the advantage heading into the second.
McCormick and Webb knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to open the second quarter as Detroit Mercy led 22-16 and Starks then made her first triple of the game as the Titans held a 27-21 lead at the 7:19 mark of the second. UIC closed the gap to one point, 28-27, but the Titans ended the first half on a 9-2 run over the final 4:50 of the second quarter with Webb sinking a 3-pointer, Fox scoring on consecutive buckets in the paint and then Reiff making a lay-up with just 13 seconds left before the half off a feed from Webb.
Detroit Mercy held a 37-29 advantage at the half as Fox led all scorers with 10 points in the opening half.
UIC pulled to within seven points, 41-34, early in the third quarter, but the Titans took control from there, going on an 18-5 run to close out the third quarter over the final 7:37. Sophomore
Sammiyah Hoskin opened the run with a bucket in the paint and Fox followed with a lay-up midway through the frame. After a Webb jumper, Starks and McCormick scored the final 13 points of the third with Starks scoring 10 of those in the final 3:21 of the stanza.
After Starks sank a pair of free throws, McCormick made her second 3-pointer of the game. Starks then followed with a triple of her own with 1:35 left in the third and then added a pair of free throws and a jumper in the final 70 seconds of the third quarter. The big Titan run gave Detroit Mercy a 20-point advantage after three, 59-39.
The Titans kept their momentum going early in the fourth quarter as Reiff also made a pair of free throws to open the frame. After a steal by Fox on the defensive end, she finished at the other end as she converted on a lay-up off a great feed from McCormick. Starks followed with a fast-break lay-up off a helper from sophomore
Abbie McDowell, who assisted on three-straight Titan buckets. McDowell's third assist in a matter of minutes was to Webb, who sank a 3-pointer from the wing as Detroit Mercy led 70-45, with just 4:33 remaining in the game, helping put the game out of reach.
Fox had seven offensive rebounds in the contest and made 6-of-11 field goal attempts in the game, adding two steals. Fox, along with Reiff, also made all four free throw attempts. Webb had a team-high four assists in the game.
Reiff and Webb both added six boards as Detroit Mercy had 50 or more rebounds for the first time since the 2015-16 season. As a team, Detroit Mercy pulled down 20 offensive rebounds, 10 of them in the first quarter alone. Hoskin and Starks both added five rebounds in a balanced effort as five Titans had five or more caroms.
Kristian Young led UIC (2-5, 1-3 HL) with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Titan News & Notes
• The Titans had five players score in double figures for the first time since Feb. 20, 2017 against Wright State.
• The 50 rebounds were the most since the Titans had 50 against Salem International on Dec. 5, 2015.
• Fox is the first Titan with back-to-back double-doubles since Rosanna Reynolds on Dec. 31, 2016-Jan. 7, 2017.
• Fox had her second-straight and second career double-double, going for a career-high 16 points and tying her career-high with 11 boards.
• Reiff scored in double figures for the first time in 2020-21 and fifth time overall in her collegiate career.
• Webb knocked down three 3-pointers in the game, marking the fourth time this season she's made three or more triples.
• The Titans lead the all-time series with the Flames, 34-25, winning 11 of the past 14 matchups.
• It was career win No. 288 for Titan head coach
AnnMarie Gilbert.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the court after the calendar turns to 2021, with the Titans hosting Milwaukee on Friday, Jan. 1 and Saturday, Jan. 2 inside Calihan Hall. Both games may be seen live on ESPN-Plus and game times are slated for 5 p.m. ET both days.
