The Basics
Final Score: Wright State 66, Detroit Mercy 58
Records: Detroit Mercy 3-26 (3-15 HL), Wright State 18-11 (13-5 HL)
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Calihan Hall)
 
DETROIT (2/29/2020) – The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team made a late fourth quarter run Saturday afternoon, but came up just short as they fell to visiting Wright State 66-58 at Calihan Hall.
 
The regular season home finale began prior to tip-off as graduate assistant coaches and senior student-athletes, including senior guard Zoey Oatis, were honored at center court.
 
Junior guard Aly Reiff led the way for the red, white and blue with a season-high 11 points and three assists. Freshman forward Bridgid Fox also chipped in with 10 points and sophomore forward Maxine Moore added nine points and eight rebounds.
 
The Titans began the first quarter fluid in their offensive sets and were able to get good looks at the basket, shooting at a 37.5 percent clip. They were also able to control the offensive glass with big offensive rebounds from Oatis.
 
On the defensive end, they were equally as stout holding the Raiders scoreless for several minutes in the first, playing solid team defense down the stretch to close out the quarter trailing, 15-13. 
 
Freshman guard Abbie McDowell's corner trey on the dime from Reiff cut the Titan deficit to one point, 20-19 with 5:15 left heading into the first media timeout. Detroit Mercy's backcourt play kept the remaining first half tight, culminating in a Jiera Shears dribble-drive to the tin where she would ultimately draw a Wright State foul. After splitting a pair of foul shots, the Titans cut the deficit to three after a Raider basket that gave them a three-point lead heading into the locker room.
 
Detroit Mercy was able to withstand an early 11-2 Raider run going back to the end of the third quarter. However, a three-pointer from freshman Sylare Starks cut the deficit to nine, 62-53 with 2:39 remaining in regulation.
 
The defense continued to show flashes of brilliance in the fourth when they forced a turnover giving them back possession before Aly Reiff's three ball with a minute left saw the Titans within ten, but it wasn't enough as Wright State was able to kill the clock and hold on for the win.
 
The Titans as a team shot 36.1 percent (22-of-61), but the Raiders were just as efficient when it counted as they countered with 37 percent from the field and also outshooting Detroit Mercy from the charity stripe at 69.6 percent (16-of-23). Detroit Mercy also had a season low 11 turnovers and dished out 14 assists as a team – five by freshman guard Markyia McCormick.
 
Titan News and Notes
• Bridgid Fox reached double figures for the ninth time as a Titan, and also the third straight game.
• With the senior day festivities honoring guard Zoey Oatis, she has played in 97 career games and shot better than 48-percent in her career entering the Horizon League Championship.
• Oatis had seven rebounds on Senior Day, adding two assists and two blocks in a team-high 32 minutes.
• The Titans held WSU leading scorer Angel Baker to 1-of-27 shooting in the two games this season (and an 0-for-12 shooting clip Saturday as she went scoreless in the game).
• It was the 58th meeting in women's basketball between the two schools (Titans trail in series, 28-30).
• Sophomore Maxine Moore was just a point away from reaching double figures in three of her past five games with postseason play getting ready to start next week. Prior to today's matchup, she was averaging 10.7 ppg in her past 10 games.
• McCormick had a career-best five assists in the game and ranks second on the squad this season in assists (46).
 
Up Next
Detroit Mercy begins postseason play with the opening round of the 2020 Horizon League Conference Tournament where the no. 9 seeded Titans square off in a rematch of last Thursday night's contest against no. 4 seed Northern Kentucky on Tuesday, March 3 from BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Ky.