DETROIT (3/2/2020) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team, the No. 9 seed in the 2020 Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship, opens up first round play Tuesday evening, facing fourth-seeded Northern Kentucky from BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Ky. The game is set for a 7 p.m. ET tip and may be seen live via ESPN-Plus.

The Titans are playing the Norse for the second time in the past six days after the two squared off from Calihan Hall last Thursday evening. It's also the second time that the red, white and blue are playing Northern Kentucky in tournament play with the two meeting in a first round game in the 2018 Horizon League Championship in Detroit.

On The Court:

• Freshman guard Sylare Starks, who led all Horizon League freshmen in scoring (10.2 ppg) during the regular season, was named to the five-member Horizon League All-Freshman Team on Monday. Starks ranks seventh in the Horizon League in 3-pointers made per game (1.7).
• Detroit Mercy is 26-27 all-time in 53 career games in the Horizon League Championship; The Titans have reached seven #HLWBB title games and last in 2016-17.
• Titan sophomore forward Maxine Moore is averaging 10.5 points per game across her past 11 games, which includes two double-doubles in her past five contests.
• Freshman forward Bridgid Fox has scored in double figures in three-straight games and nine overall this season; She's up to third on the team in scoring.
• Senior Zoey Oatis ranks sixth in the Horizon League in steals per game (1.4) and is one of three players to rank in the top-15 in both steals and blocks in the league. Oatis had a season-high four blocks in her last game against NKU and has a team-high 20 on the season.
• The Titans and Norse are meeting for the 12th time in women's basketball in the five-year series history since NKU joined the Horizon League prior to 2015-16.
• Three Titan freshmen have earned Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors this season -- Sylare Starks (Nov. 25), Bridgid Fox (Dec. 16) and Markyia McCormick (Dec. 23).
• Starks is third in Titan freshmen history in 3-pointers made (50) in a single season and 10th with 296 total points entering Saturday's regular-season finale.
• Titan freshmen have scored 53-percent of the team's points this season and scored in double figures 37 times as a class.
• Head coach Bernard Scott is in his fifth season at the helm of the Titans and has led them to two top-four finishes and a Horizon League championship game in 2017.

Horizon League Championship History
The Titans are 2-3 all-time under head coach Bernard Scott in the Horizon League Championship. Detroit Mercy reached the title game of the 2017 Horizon League Championship, winning two games before falling in the championship, 64-52, to top-seeded Green Bay. The Titans last played in the tournament in 2018, falling to NKU by a 76-61 margin from Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit.

Detroit Mercy has reached the championship game on seven occasions, winning the Horizon League title once in 1997, in a 63-55 win over Green Bay. Every championship game appearance has come opposing the Phoenix. The Titans have an overall record of 26-27 in 53 total games in the Horizon League Championship.

Last Time Out
The Titans fell in their regular-season finale on Senior Day from Calihan Hall, dropping a 66-58 contest with visiting Wright State. Detroit Mercy was led in scoring with a season-high 11 points from Aly Reiff. Bridgid Fox scored in double figures for the third-straight game with 10 points. Maxine Moore added nine points and eight rebounds. Senior Zoey Oatis had seven caroms and two blocks in her final game from Calihan Hall.

The Titans took care of the ball in the game, turning the ball over just 11 times and assisting on 14 field goals -- with a career-high five coming from Markyia McCormick. Detroit Mercy held WSU leading scorer Angel Baker to 0-of-12 shooting in the game as she finished scoreless in the contest. WSU won the rebounding battle in the contest, 51-33.

Scouting Northern Kentucky:

• The Norse earned the No. 4 seed in the Horizon League Championship on the strength of a 12-6 mark in league play.
• NKU is 18-11 overall this season and finished the season winners in five of its past six games. NKU is meeting the Titans for the second time in six days.
• Northern Kentucky sophomore guard Ally Niece was named Horizon League Player of the Week on Monday.
• Niece leads the team in scoring 12.5 points per game, while senior Molly Glick also averages in double figures at 11.8 points per contest.
• Junior Kailey Coffey is the team's top rebounder at 7.9 caroms per game (fourth in HL) and Niece also leads the team and ranks third in the league in assists per game (3.8).
• Both Niece and Glick were Second Team All-League and guard Ivy Turner was voted to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.

Up Next
With a victory over NKU, the Titans would move on to the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championship, which are set for Thursday. The remaining teams after the first round are re-seeded with the top remaining team playing the lowest remaining opponent and so on down the line. The other first round matchups feature No. 10 UIC at No. 3 Wright State, No. 8 Oakland at No. 5 Milwaukee and No. 7 Youngstown State at sixth-seeded Cleveland State on Tuesday.