The Basics
Final Score: Cleveland State 68, Detroit Mercy 63
Records: Detroit Mercy 3-24 (3-13 HL), Cleveland State 19-7 (9-7 HL)
Location: Cleveland, Ohio (Wolstein Center)

CLEVELAND, Ohio (2/23/2020) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team scored 23 points in the final quarter to make a run at host Cleveland State, but the Vikings were able to hold off the Titans as the red, white and blue suffered a 68-63 setback from the Wolstein Center.

Freshman forward Bridgid Fox tied her career-high with 15 points, hitting 7-of-9 field goal attempts, while sophomore forward Maxine Moore tallied her second double-double in the past three contests with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Freshmen guards Sylare Starks and Annika Corcoran each knocked down three 3-pointers with Starks scoring 11 points and Corcoran totaling nine and a career-high-tying six assists.

The Titans had 20 assists as a team -- the second-best total of the season (22 against CSU earlier this season) -- and shot 38.8 percent (26-for-67) from the floor in the contest.

Detroit Mercy opened the game on a 7-0 run with Fox scoring on the first offensive possession of the game and Moore following with a jumper off a feed from Fox in the first minute. Just seconds later, Corcoran drilled a 3-pointer and Detroit Mercy led 7-0 just 71 seconds into the contest. The Vikings scored the next seven points of the game, before Fox ended the run with a lay-up. Starks sank a triple later in the stanza and the Titans trailed by one after one, 13-12.

Cleveland State scored the first nine points of the second quarter before Fox again ended the run with a lay-up. The Vikings took a 10-point lead, but Detroit Mercy chipped away at the advantage as Starks connected on another triple midway through the second quarter. Moore than sank a jumper on the next possession for the Titans and freshman Abbie McDowell converted on a jumper with 3:06 left in the first half. McDowell's jumper started a 6-0 run with junior Aly Reiff and Fox each contributing field goals in the stretch.

Moore scored the final bucket in the first half as Detroit Mercy trailed by just eight at the halftime break, 35-27. Fox had eight points in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting.

Fox opened the second half with her fifth field goal to get into double figures, but Cleveland State would go on a run to take a double-figure lead over the Titans. Sophomore guard Jiera Shears scored on a tough and-one conversion near the end of the quarter and freshman guard Markyia McCormick sank the lost shot of the frame as the Titans trailed 55-40 after three.

Detroit Mercy began the fourth quarter on a 5-0 run with Moore sinking two free throws and Corcoran hitting a 3-pointer -- all in the first minute. After CSU took a 60-46 lead, the Titans went on a 7-0 run with Fox converting on a reverse lay-up off a pass from Moore and then Shears sinking a long 3-pointer off an assist by Corcoran. The Titans cut the CSU lead down to seven, 60-53, after Shears sank a running jumper in the paint with 4:13 remaining.

Fox sank a lay-up with 2:56 left and Starks followed with a steal and lay-up of her own as Detroit Mercy was down just five, 62-57, with 2:49 left. Cleveland State would go on to score the next six points, sinking four-straight free throws before sinking a lay-up. Corcoran knocked down a trey with 70 seconds left to cut the lead to eight, 68-60, but the Titans would run out of time to complete the comeback attempt. Starks sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to complete the scoring in the game.

The Titans out-scored Cleveland State in the final quarter, 23-13. Nine different Titans had assists on the day with Corcoran dishing out six and Moore and Starks each adding three helpers for Detroit Mercy. Fox also had two blocks to go along with her efficient game shooting the ball. Senior Zoey Oatis added eight boards for the Titans.

Detroit Mercy knocked down 7-of-24 shots from beyond the arc and were 4-of-6 from the free throw line in the contest. The six attempts were a season-low. Meanwhile, Cleveland State went to the line 36 times (a high for an opponent this season) in the contest, hitting 26 free throws (72.2 percent). The Vikings held the rebounding edge, 51-40.

Titan News & Notes
• The Titans notched 20 or more assists in both regular-season games against Cleveland State in 2019-20.
• Fox tied her career-high with 15 points (also had 15 against Youngstown State on Jan. 18) and scored in double figures for the seventh time this season.
• Moore tallied her second double-double in the past three games and tallied a career-high 12 rebounds in the game.
• Starks scored in double figures for the 17th time this season, which leads the team.
• Starks moved into a tie-for-third place in Titan freshmen history in 3-pointers made (48) and 11th in scoring (284 points).
• Corcoran became the second Titan freshmen to reach 30 made 3-pointers this season and is 20-for-52 from deep in league contests.
• Corcoran also had five or more assists for the fifth time this season, tying her career-high with six assists (both came against CSU).
• It was the 64th meeting all-time in women's basketball between the Titans and Vikings (Titans lead series, 41-23).

Up Next
Detroit Mercy next plays on Thursday, Feb. 27 when the Titans host Northern Kentucky from Calihan Hall. It's the first of two games during the final weekend of the regular season with the red, white and blue also welcoming Wright State to Detroit on Saturday, Feb. 29 for Senior Day.