DETROIT (1/13/2021) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team returns to the court this weekend, hosting #MetroSeries rival Oakland from Calihan Hall in a pair of contests on Friday and Saturday. Both games are openers in doubleheaders with the Titan men's basketball squad in Detroit.
Friday's game is slated for a 2 p.m. ET start from Calihan Hall, while Saturday's contest is set for a 1 p.m. tip. Both games may be seen live on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN Applications with
Denny Kapp calling all of the action.
As per Titan Athletics fan policies for the 2020-21 school year, no fans are permitted inside Calihan Hall for any games due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
Last Time Out
The Titans battled back-and-forth with host Green Bay all afternoon, holding a 29-28 halftime lead and tying the game, 41-41 and 43-43, early in the fourth quarter, but the Phoenix pulled away down the stretch as the Titans fell 61-48 from the Kress Events Center on Jan. 9.
Kaela Webb led Detroit Mercy in scoring for the second-straight game with 15 points, while sophomore guard
Annika Corcoran posted nine points, five rebounds and four assists for the Titans. Webb and Corcoran each hit three 3-pointers in the contest as the Titans knocked down eight triples, six in the first half to held the red, white and blue to an early lead.
Bridgid Fox added seven points and
Cierra Harrison had six points and six rebounds.
Quick Hits
• Junior guard
Kaela Webb is among the conference leaders in scoring (17.7 points per game, 3rd), 3-point field goals made (32, 1st) and free throw percentage (89.5, 2nd). Webb surpassed 800 career points in her last game against Green Bay (598 points with Providence, 212 with Detroit Mercy).
• The Titans shot well beyond the arc against Green Bay, sinking 19 3-pointers total across a two-game stretch (19-of-47, 40.4%). Detroit Mercy enters Friday's game third in both 3-point FG% (31.0) and FT% (72.3) in the Horizon League.
• Senior
Aly Reiff's next game is her 100th career across her entire Division I career. Reiff has played in all 42 games with the Titans in the past two seasons.
• The Titans are in their first season under
AnnMarie Gilbert, who is in her 19th season as a head coach and has 288 career wins. She's the 12th head coach in Titan program history.
Scouting Oakland
The Golden Grizzlies (4-7, 4-4 HL) are coming off a 1-1 weekend at Youngstown State, winning 71-61 in Friday's road contest before falling 72-57 in Saturday's game against the Penguins. Oakland turned the ball over just 11 times, forcing 22 YSU turnovers in Friday's victory with three players scoring in double figures. OU opened Horizon League play 3-0 after two victories over UIC and a win against Wright State, but have dropped four of five since.
Junior guard Kahlaijah Dean leads Oakland in scoring (15.3 ppg), rebounding (4.8 rpg), assists (38) and steals (23). Sophomore guard Alona Blackwell also averages in double figures (11.7 ppg) and has a team-best 25 made 3-pointers. Junior guard Brianna Breedy is second on the team in assists (30), starting all 11 games for OU.
All-Time Series
Oakland holds the edge in the all-time series with the Titans, 16-15, with the teams meeting for the 32nd and 33rd times this weekend. Detroit Mercy is 8-7 in home games played against the Golden Grizzlies.
The Titans have dropped the past six meetings against Oakland, but 10 of the past 12 games in the series have been decided by 11 points or less. The Titans last win against OU was a 71-61 home triumph on Feb. 11, 2017.
Getting to the Line
The Titans were effective in getting to the free throw line in the season opener, shooting 38 times and making 28 free throws (73.7 percent). The 28 makes and 38 attempts were the most for a Titan team since the team went to the line 41 times, making 31 free throws, against Eastern Michigan on Dec. 6, 2016. The Titans followed that effort with a 19-for-23 performance from the free throw line (82.6%) against Indiana State and then a 17-for-19 effort (89.5%) at Toledo.
Through 12 games, Detroit Mercy is 162-for-224 from the charity stripe (72.3%), ranking 15th nationally in both free throws made and attempts. Junior guard
Kaela Webb currently ranks third in the Horizon League in free throw percentage (89.5), sinking 34-of-38 shots, while sophomore guard
Markyia McCormick is seventh hitting 38-of-51 attempts for a 74.5 FT%, ranking fourth in the league in free throw makes (38). Sophomore forward
Bridgid Fox has also been effective at the free throw line, sinking 26-of-34 (76.5%) from the line.
Impressive Debut for Webb
Junior guard
Kaela Webb (Pontiac, Mich.), a transfer from Providence, has made her presence known in her first season as a Titan. Webb scored a career-high 25 points in her second game in the red, white and blue against Indiana State, sinking six 3-pointers and shooting 6-of-9 from deep. In her third game with the Titans, Webb posted seven assists, six boards and three steals at Michigan State and then set a new career-high again at Toledo, making 11 field goals, including three from deep, and scoring 29 points, the most points for a Titan player in more than three seasons. Webb has scored in double figures in 10 of 12 games in a Titan uniform, including 20 or more points five times. She has tied or led the team in scoring in nine of 12 contests.
Webb is among the league and national leaders in several statistical categories, ranking third in scoring (17.7 points per game, 81st in NCAA), third in free-throw percentage (89.5, 46th in NCAA), first in field goals made (73, 31st in NCAA) first in total points (212, 17th in NCAA) and first in 3-pointers made (32, 9th in NCAA) through 12 games. Webb ranked second in 2019-20 in 3-pointers made (78) in the Big East while playing for Providence. She is tied for first on the team in assists (26), dishing out 2.2 dimes per contest (19th in HL).
Star Fox
Sophomore forward
Bridgid Fox (Altoona, Pa.) played in every game during her freshman season and ranked third on the team in scoring (7.2 ppg) and rebounding (3.7 rpg) during Horizon League play. She started the final 22 games a season ago and also led the team in shooting, hitting 56.2% of shots (77-of-137) in '19-20.
Fox had a career weekend at UIC on Dec. 19-20, recording back-to-back double-doubles, her first two career double-doubles. She had 12 points, 11 rebounds in an overtime setback before scoring a game and career-high 16 points, adding 11 more caroms (seven offensive) in a 72-58 win. Fox leads the team and ranks 13th in the HL in rebounding this season at 5.4 caroms per game and has four games of seven rebounds and six games of five or more boards. Fox is also third on the team in scoring (6.8 ppg) and is shooting 52.9% from the floor and 76.5% at the free throw line. She has a team-high 29 offensive rebounds -- fourth in the Horizon League.
Scoring Punch From Marky
Sophomore guard
Markyia McCormick (Pickerington, Ohio) has gotten into the scoring column often early in the 2020-21 season, scoring 17 points in back-to-back games to start the season, before tallying nine points on the road at Michigan State and 11 more against Wright State on Dec. 13 and then a season-best 18 at UIC on Dec. 19. She ranks second on the squad in scoring (8.8 points per game) and third in 3-pointers made (10), while making 10-of-27 shots from deep for a team-high 37.0% clip. McCormick is also among the Horizon League leaders from the free throw line, sinking 38-of-51 shots, ranking seventh in the league rankings in free throw percentage (74.5) and fourth in free throws made (38). McCormick ranked third on the team as a freshman a season ago in scoring at 7.0 points per game. She is second on the team in steals with 14.
Starks' Spark
A Horizon League All-Freshman Team member in 2019-20, sophomore guard
Sylare Starks (Fort Wayne, Ind.) returns after leading the Titans in scoring (10.1 points per game) as a freshman a year ago. Starks also led all HL freshmen in scoring a year ago, ranking 16th overall in scoring in the conference. She was also among the league leaders in 3-pointers made (50), ranking seventh in the HL. Her 50 treys were also third-best in Titan freshman history. She scored in double figures a team-best 17 times in 2019-20 and was one of two Titans to start in all 30 games.
In her third game of the 2020-21 season, Starks led Detroit Mercy and all scorers against Michigan State, scoring a game-best 18 points, just one off her career-high. She made three 3-pointers and had 10 points by the halftime break. Starks added 13 points at Toledo in the non-league finale for the Titans and has scored in double figures in 20 career games. She has made 62 triples and 1.5 treys per game in her Titan career.
Reiff Lone Senior in 2020-21
Second-year Titan and fourth-year player
Aly Reiff (South Whitley, Ind.) is the lone senior for the Titans in 2020-21. The Xavier transfer played in all 30 games for her first season for the Titans in 2019-20, making nine starts. She ranked third on the squad in steals (21) and was fourth in 3-pointers made (17) a season ago, averaging 4.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Reiff has played in all 12 games this season and 99 overall in her Division I career. She recorded her fifth career game in double figures with 10 points in a 72-58 win at UIC on Dec. 20, making all four free throws and grabbing six rebounds. Reiff has 44 career 3-pointers across her four-year career and 54 steals. She is third on the team in rebounding (3.6), assists (17) and steals (13) and is averaging 1.8 assists per game in HL games.
Speedy Return for Corcoran
Just a little more than 10 months following a season-ending injury, sophomore guard
Annika Corcoran returned to the court on New Year's Day against Milwaukee. Corcoran, who started all 27 games that she played in as a freshman, led the Titans in assists (61) and assists per game (2.3) in 2019-20. She ranked 12th in the Horizon League in assists per game (2.6) during league play and also ranked second on the squad in 3-pointers made (31) and led the team in 3-point field goal percentage (34.4).
In her fourth game of the season, Corcoran played in a season-high 33 minutes, hitting three 3-pointers and setting a new career-high with five rebounds, scoring nine points and adding a team-high four assists against Green Bay on Jan. 9. She is averaging 1.8 assists through four games this season.
High-Powered Hoskin
Playing in her first Division I contest, sophomore forward
Sammiyah Hoskin (Detroit, Mich.) made 5-of-7 field goal attempts and 4-of-6 free throws for 14 points, adding five rebounds, one assist and one steal in the season opener against Xavier. She started for the Titans and played in 25 minutes. A former Wayne County Community College standout, Hoskin was a Second Team NJCCA All-American last season and starred locally at Wayne Memorial High School.
She has started eight of 12 games for the Titans and has multiple rebounds in 10 contests, including five or more boards in five games, ranking second on the team with 3.7 caroms per contest early in 2020-21. Hoskin is also tied for third on the squad in steals with 13.
Stormin' Norman
Junior guard
Alicia Norman (Detroit, Mich.) recorded 10 points, seven assists and three steals off the bench in Detroit Mercy's second game of the season against Indiana State. The transfer from nearby Macomb Community College and former Martin Luther King HS standout in Detroit, Norman had six assists before halftime and made all six free throws. Norman has three games already of five or more assists, including six in the HL opener against Wright State on Dec. 12. She leads the Titans with a team-high 26 assists, also ranking eighth in the HL in assists per game (2.9).
Milestone Watch
With a win this season, head coach
AnnMarie Gilbert is just 12 wins from 300 in her career as the leader of a program. She has wins at three different levels and four different schools -- amassing 135 at Division II Virginia Union, 94 at Eastern Michigan, 58 at her alma mater Oberlin, where she began her coaching career. In addition, she has 149 league wins all-time, just one off 150 in her career.
Webb, who scored 598 points in her first two seasons at Providence, has scored 212 this season as a Titan and has 810 career points -- just 190 points away from 1,000 in her Division I career.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the road for the next two weekends, beginning with a trip to Ohio for a pair of road games against Youngstown State next Friday, Jan. 22 and Saturday, Jan. 23. Game times are 2 p.m. ET both days and are slated to be streamed live on ESPN-Plus.
