DETROIT (12/1/21) – The Detroit Mercy women's basketball team resumes Horizon League play with a pair of homes games against IUPUI and UIC. The Titans and Jaguars tip off on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. followed by the Titans and Flames on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live from Dick Vitale Court at Calihan Hall on ESPN+ with
Denny Kapp on the call.
Notes:
LENDING A HELPING HAND - DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS K-5 BENEFIT: Detroit Mercy Titan Athletics and Michigan First Credit Union are teaming up to run a fundraising benefit for Detroit Public Schools, K-5. Throughout the month of December, Titan Athletics will be collecting monetary donations for DPS, K-5, online and in-person at all home men's and women's basketball games. At the end of the month, MFCU will provide a matching donation of the funds raised for DPS, K-5. To donate online, visit DetroitTitans.com/DPS.
A LOOK AT IUPUI: IUPUI is 2-3 with wins against Bowling Green and Butler. They also took No. 11 Michigan into overtime before falling by five points (67-62). Due to COVID-19 concerns with in the program, the Jags had to forfeit both league games against Cleveland State and Purdue Fort Wayne.
Last season, IUPUI came just one game short of defending their 2019-20 HL title falling in the 2021 championship game to Wright State. The Jaguars are led by three-time Horizon League Player of the Year and 2021-22 HL Preseason Player of the Year Mace Williams who leads the team in scoring (16.0 ppg), rebounds per game (6.7) and steals (2.7).
IUPUI SERIES BREAKDOWN: IUPUI is a perfect 7-0 against Detroit Mercy.
SCOUTING THE FLAMES: UIC is 1-5 with its lone win coming against Valparaiso and 0-3 in conference play after losing at Oakland on Thursday. The Flames are led by redshirt sophomore guard/forward Jaida McCloud who leads the team and is fifth in the league in scoring (17.2 ppg), rebounds (6.6) and blocks (0.8).
UIC SERIES BREAKDOWN: Detroit Mercy leads the overall series against UIC 34-25 with the Titans winning eight of the last 10 meetings.
LAST TIME OUT: TRAWALLY PORTA SHINES OFF THE BENCH: Freshman
Emma Trawally Porta posted a career-high 10 points off the bench on 4-of-10 shooting with three blocks and two steals in just her third game playing since Robert Morris (11/18). Junior
Imani McNeal also added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting with six rebounds and four steals as Detroit Mercy mounted a last minute fourth quarter rally that came up short as the Titans fell 67-60 at Akron on Monday night.
I'LL TAKE THAT: Detroit Mercy leads the Horizon League in total steals (63) and ranks second in steals per game (9.60). The Titans posted a season-high 15 steals at Akron (11/29). Against RMU (11/18), 9-of-12 players who entered the game recorded at least one steal led by
Brandi Washington with three and Irene McNeal with two for a total of 12. Detroit Mercy then posted 14 steals against Robert Morris (11/20).
SEARCY'S SWIPES: Sydney Searcy leads the team and ranks third in the league in total steals (15) and steals per game (2.7). She posted a career-high six steals against YSU (11/20). McNeal also ranks 11th in steals per game (1.8).
DISH IT OUT: Searcy also leads the team in assists (11) and assists per game (1.8). Followed by
Daija Moses and Irena Murua with 10 each 1.7 per game.
DEFENSIVE FOUNDATION: Detroit Mercy ranks third in the league in turnover margin (2.20) with opponents committing a league-high 129 turnovers against the Titans at 21.5 per game.
CLEANING THE GLASS: Detroit Mercy ranks second in the league in offensive rebounds per game (14.0) after posting a season-high 19 at Canisius (11/23) and season second-best 18 at Akron (11/29). They also rank fifth in rebounding offense average per game (35.0). Murua ranks ninth in the league in rebounds (6.8).
BLOCK PARTY: Freshman
Emma Trawally Porta posted a career and season-high three blocks at Akron (11/29).
MURUA LEADS THE WAY: Sophomore
Irene Murua leads the team in scoring (10.0 ppg), rebounds per game (6.8) and field goal percentage shooting a blistering 54.2% (26-for-48) from the field.
MAKE IT A DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Murua posted her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds vs YSU (11/20) and followed with second consecutive double-double with 10 points and career-high 12 rebounds and four assists at Canisius (11/23).
CONSECUTIVE 3-POINTERS MADE STREAK: The Titans have made at least one 3-pointer in 362 consecutive games dating back to March 5, 2009. The last game the Titans didn't sink one 3-pointer from the field was against Wright State on Feb. 28, 2009, when the team went 0-for-11 from beyond the arc.
TRIFECTA YOU BET YA: Brandi Washington leads the team in 3-pointers (9) and has connected on two or more triples in the last three consecutive games.
DYNAMIC SCORING DUO: Murua and Washington are tops on the team in scoring at 10.0 ppg and 7.8 ppg respectively.
PRODUCTION FROM THE LINE: Washington and Murua lead the Titans from the free throw line at 66.7% followed by
Imani McNeal at 64.7%.
PRUITT POURED IT IN: Senior
Monique Pruitt poured in a game and career-high 23 points on 7-for-18 shooting and 9-for-11 from the free throw line at Eastern Michigan last (11/13).
SOLID DEBUT: At Loyola, Murua led the way with a team-high 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting with four rebounds, three assists and three steals in her season debut for the Titans.
VIVA ESPAÑA: Ana Cabañas Llorens will join the Detroit women's basketball team as part of the 2022-23 recruiting class marking the fifth student-athlete from Spain to be on the roster for next season.
SEASON REWIND:
Detroit Mercy 55 at Canisius 64 (11/23/21)
Senior
Monique Pruitt put forth a solid overall effort posting a team-high 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting with seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Sophomore
Irene Murua also posted her second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds and four assists as Detroit Mercy dropped a hard-fought non-conference game at Canisius (11/23). Graduate student
Brandi Washington also poured in a team-high 16 points going 3-for-7 from 3-point range.
Detroit Mercy 56 vs Youngstown State 64 (11/20/21)
Irene Murua tallied 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Graduate senior
Daija Moses had 12 points and six rebounds and graduate senior
Brandi Washington netted 10 points. with five boards, two assists, a block and a steal as Detroit Mercy put the pressure on all game long, coming away with 14 steals, as the Titans fell to Youngstown State, 64-56, on Saturday at Calihan Hall.
Detroit Mercy 46 vs Robert Morris 55 (11/18/21)
Irene Murua scored a team-high 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting while grabbing a team-best seven rebounds.
Sydney Searcy added nine points followed by
Daija Moses with eight points and four rebounds as Detroit Mercy dropped the home and Horizon League opener to Robert Morris, 55-46, at Calihan Hall.
Imani McNeal turned in a solid overall effort with six points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals while
Brandi Washington chipped in with seven points, four rebounds and team-high three steals.
Detroit Mercy 66 at Eastern Michigan 76 (11/9/21)
Monique Pruitt poured in a game and career-high 23 points on 7-for-18 shooting and 9-for-11 from the free throw line.
Sydney Searcy also reached in double figures with 13 points as Detroit Mercy battle before falling to a late fourth quarter run at Eastern Michigan last Saturday (11/13).
Detroit Mercy 40 at Loyola 63 (11/9/21)
Sophomore
Irene Murua put together a solid performance scoring 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting with four rebounds, three assists and three steals while
Sydney Searcy added seven points and two assists with a team-high six rebounds and four steals as Detroit Mercy fell 63-40 at Loyola in the season opener at Gentile Arena.
Daija Moses had six points with five rebounds and three assists while
Janna Lewis also added six points with three rebounds.
Brandi Washington and
Imani McNeal chipped in with five and four points respectively.
Detroit Mercy 66 vs Wayne State 73 OT (Exhibition 11/4/21)
The Detroit Mercy women's basketball team placed four players in double figures as senior
Monique Pruitt scored a team-high 15 points followed by 14 points from graduate student
Janna Lewis and 11 points each from graduate students
Sydney Searcy and
Tori Powell and the Titans fell 73-66 in overtime to cross-town foe Wayne State in exhibition action on at Calihan Hall.
NEW LOOK SQUAD: The Titans will take the floor this season with an entirely new team consisting of 14 newcomers with nine student-athletes from the US, four from Spain and one from Canada.
Florida (2) -
Sydney Searcy, graduate student,
A'Moni Waiters, junior
Georgia (1) –
Imani McNeal, junior
Illinois (1) –
Monique Pruitt, senior
Kentucky (1) -
Janna Lewis, grad student
Louisiana (1) -
Brandi Washington, grad student
New Jersey (1) –
Akyia Baker, freshman
North Carolina (1) –
Tori Powell, grad student
Pennsylvania (1) –
Taylor Blunt, freshman
Canada (1) –
Daija Moses, grad student
SPANISH CONNECTION: This year's squad features four players from Spain with sophomores
Irene Murua and
Lucia Fleta Robles and two freshmen,
Sonia Pereda and
Emma Trawally Porta.
LEADER OF THE PACK: LaTanya Collins was named an assistant coach for the Titans in June 2020 and then named the interim head coach for the program on June 15, 2021. Coach Collins joined the staff with more than 12 years of collegiate coaching experience. She enters her second season with the Titan program in 2021-22.
Collins has 69 head coaching victories across four seasons and has vast experience coaching at different levels, which includes stops at fellow Division I programs Coppin State, Marist, Radford and Virginia Tech, among others.
Prior to joining the program at Detroit Mercy, Collins was the head coach at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland, recording a mark of 22-4 and taking over a roster that had no players and building a team that began the year on an eight-game winning streak and received votes nationally in the Top-25 NJCAA Poll by season's end. Under Collins guidance, Harford led the NJCAA in points allowed per game (48.6), along with steals per game (16.9), while also finishing second in blocks per game (8.4).
Under the tutelage of Collins, Harford guard Kelvajha Foster earned NJCAA Division I All-American honors and she helped produce two All-Maryland JUCO Conference players in Foster and Tsahai Corbie.
COACHING STAFF: Coach Collins has added a brand-new coaching staff in Associate Head Coach
Wanika Owsley, Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Stephanie Edwards, Assistant Coach
Damon Thornton and Director of Basketball Operations
Dashia Chandler.
2021-22 HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL: Detroit Mercy was picked to finish last in the 2021 HL Preseason Poll with 16 points.
