DETROIT (2/22/23) – The Detroit Mercy women's basketball team closes out the #HLWBB regular season with a two-game road swing at Northern Kentucky and Wright State. The Titans and Norse tip off on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. live from Trusist Arena on ESPN+ followed by the Raiders on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. live from the Nutter Center on ESPN3.
Notes:
LAST TIME OUT: Titans Come Up Short in Final Seconds at Arch-Rival Oakland in Metro Series Classic
Detroit Mercy 65 at Oakland 66 (2/20/23)
Out of a timeout with Detroit Mercy trailing 64-63 with 16.2 seconds left in the game, senior
Imani McNeal broke free and converted a layup giving the Titans a 65-64 lead with 11.8 ticks left. Oakland freshman Brooke Quarles-Daniels answered with a bucket giving the Golden Grizzlies the lead back with 4.5 seconds remaining. After a time-out to advance the ball, junior
Irene Murua took the inbounds pass, dribbled out of a double team, and sent a pass to freshman
Amaya Burch who caught the ball but could not get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded as the Titans lost a 66-65 heart-breaker at arch-rival Oakland in Metro Series action at the O'rena on Monday night.
Murua led the way for the Detroit Mercy (5-22, 3-15 HL) pouring in a career-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line just missing a double-double with nine rebounds. Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta recorded her third career double-double with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe while grabbing a career-best 16 rebounds with four blocks defensively. McNeal finished with 10 points and five boards while Burch added seven points. Freshman
Myonna Hooper chipped in with four points, four assists and three rebounds. The Titans shot a season-best 27-for-52 (51.9%) from the field.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS: Wright State sits in 10th place in the Horizon League standings with an 5-14 league mark and 6-23 overall record. The Raiders are led by senior guard Bryce Nixon who leads the team and ranks 13th in the HL in scoring (11.8 ppg) while sophomore guard Kacee Baumhower and senior forward Cara VanKempen are tops on the team in rebounds per game (3.2) with senior guard Emily Chapman is tops on the team and eighth in the league in assists per game (2.9).
ALL TIME SERIES: WSU leads the all-time series 35-28 having won the last 11 consecutive meetings. The Titans' last win against the Raiders was an 71-52 decision in the #HLWBB Tournament on Mar. 6, 2017.
A LOOK AT THE NORSE: Northern Kentucky sits in fifth place in the Horizon League standings with a 9-9 league mark and 15-12 overall. The Norse are led by graduate student guard Lindsay Duvall who leads the team and ranks second in the Horizon League in scoring (17.5 ppg) while ranking second in the league and on the glass (9.5). Sophomore guard Kailee Davis leads the team and ranks third in the HL in assists per game (3.3) followed by senior guard Ivy Turner (3.2).
ALL TIME SERIES: NKU leads the all-time series 13-3 having won the last 12 consecutive meetings. The Titans' last win against the Norse was an 55-53 road decision on Jan. 29, 2017.
MURUA NAMED TO #HLWBB ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Junior
Irene Murua was named to the Horizon League Women's Basketball All-Academic Team as voted on by each member institution's Faculty Athletics Representative and announced by the league office. Murua, a junior from Arrasate, Spain, holds a perfect 4.00 GPA in Business Economics and is a three-time Horizon League Honor Roll selection and three-time Detroit Mercy Athletic Director Honor Roll selection.
NATIONAL BLOCK PARTY: Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta leads the Horizon League and ranks 20th in the nation in blocks per game (2.2) and total blocks (54) which ranks 22nd Nationally.
GET THAT OUTTA HERE: Trawally Porta matched a career-high five blocks against Milwaukee (2/5). She posted four blocks in each of the first three games and seven total times this season just missing her career-high by one at North Dakota (11/8), at Xavier (11/10), vs Canisius (11/13), at Indiana State (12/21), vs RMU (1/7), vs IUPUI (2/16) and at Oakland (2/20). She also posted three blocks against NIU (11/22), at Bowling Green (11/28) at IUPUI (1/20) and at YSU (2/11).
SMART COOKIES: Three Detroit Mercy women's basketball student-athletes in senior
Imani McNeal, junior
Irene Murua and sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic (CSC) 2022-23 Academic All-District® Women's Basketball Teams.
POUR IT IN PORTA: Trawally Porta put together two great performances averaging 21.5 per game (43 total points) while shooting 17-for-21 (81.0%) from the field, 7-for-9 (77.8%) from the free throw line, 2-for-3 (66.7%) from 3-point range with 14 rebounds (8.0 per game), 3 blocks and 2 steals to lead Detroit Mercy to a 1-1 non-conference mark for the week. She poured in a career-high 22 points shooting a blistering 9-for-10 from the field and 4-for-6 from the free throw line while grabbing nine rebounds propelling Detroit Mercy to a 61-55 road win over Robert Morris to complete the #HLWBB series sweep of the Colonials which also marked the first league road win for the Titans since they defeated UIC 72-58 on Dec. 19, 2020 and also marked the first time the Titans swept an #HLWBB opponent since UIC during the 2019-20 season.
Trawally Porta followed that performance scoring 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting going 2-for-3 from 3-point range and 3-for-3 from the free throw line while grabbing seven boards with three blocks as Detroit Mercy gave Youngstown State all they could handle before coming up short on the road. She has scored in double figures nine times this season.
POST PLAY PRODUCTIVITY: Trawally Porta leads the team in field goal percentage (57.7%) followed by Murua in second (49.8%). In games where Trawally Porta has posted a minimum of 10 shot attempts, she has shot 80% or better twice going 8-for-10 (80%) for 18 pts. vs WSU (1/13) and 9-for-10 (90%) for 22 pts. at RMU (2/9). She also shot 8-for-11 (72%) for 21 pts. at YSU (2/11) and 6-for-11 (54%) for 14 pts. vs Milwaukee (2/5) and 6-for-10 (60%) for 16 pts. Murua shot a season-best 7-for-10 (70%) for 17 pts. vs NKU (1/15).
PROGRAM BUILDING WIN: After losing the first nine consecutive meetings, the Titans' 57-48 win over defending #HLWBB champion IUPUI marked the first victory over the Jaguars in program history. IUPUI entered the match-up ranking second in the Horizon League in scoring (70.1 ppg), 3-point field goal percentage (34.6), 3-point field goals per game (8.5) and total 3-pointers (221) while ranking fourth in field goal percentage (42.5%). Detroit Mercy was rock solid defensively all game long holding the Jags to 5-for-27 (18.5%) from 3-point range and 17-for-67 (25.4%) shooting from the field for the game.
DOWN LOW DOMINANCE: In the Titans' win at RMU (2/9), only two points came from a single shot outside the paint as 50 of Detroit Mercy's 61 points were in the paint with the other nine coming from the free throw line.
A LONG TIME COMING PART 2: Detroit Mercy's win over RMU (2/9) also marked the first Horizon League road win for the Titans since they defeated UIC 72-58 on Dec. 19, 2020 and it also marked the first time the Titans swept an #HLWBB opponent since UIC during the 2019-20 season. The Titans first win over the Colonials (1/7) earlier this season was the first league home win since they downed UIC 58-52 on Feb. 8, 2020 at Calihan Hall.
BACK ON TRACK: Since returning from injury against CSU (1/26), Senior
Imani McNeal has scored in double figures five times over the past six games with 15 points vs Green Bay (2/3), 12 points while grabbing a career-best eight rebounds vs Milwaukee (2/5), 17 points at YSU (2/11), 12 points vs IUPUI (2/16) and 10 points at Oakland (2/20).
GRAB THE ROCK: Junior
Irene Murua leads the league offensive rebounds per game (3.3) and ranks fourth in the league in rebounds per game (8.1) followed by Trawally Porta (6.8) and Burch (4.8) who rank eighth and 20th respectfully. Murua grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds at North Dakota (11/7), Trawally Porta posted a career-best 16 at Oakland (1/20) while Burch haled in a career-high 16 against RMU (1/7).
CRASH THE BOARDS: Detroit Mercy ranks third in the Horizon League in rebounds per game (38.5), total rebounds (1040), offensive rebounds per game (11.3) and defensive rebounds per game (27.3) and fifth in rebounding margin (2.0). The grabbed a season-high 61 against Canisius followed by 51 in the win vs RMU (1/7) and 50 in the win vs IUPUI (2/16).
DOMINATE THE GLASS: Detroit Mercy grabbed a season-high 61 rebounds in the win over Canisius. The last time the team grabbed that many boards was 58 against Marygrove on 11/16/14. The Titans grabbed a season second-best 51 in their first #HLWBB win of the season vs RMU (1/7) and 50 boards in the program's first win over IUPUI (2/16). In the season opener at North Dakota, the Titans were dominant in the boards crashing the glass with 49 rebounds and 20 offensive boards that led to 20 second-chance points. 28 of the those came from two players as junior Murua who grabbed a career-high 17 boards while sophomore Trawally Porta pulled down 11 rebounds.
LOCK DOWN D: Despite the setback to Green Bay, Detroit Mercy gave the Phoenix all they could handle in a defensive battle before coming up short 56-47. Green Bay's 56 points were their third-lowest scoring output of the season.
FREE THROW PERFECTION: Detroit Mercy was perfect from the free throw line hitting a season-best 12-for-12 (100%) vs CSU (1/26) with five players in Murua (4-4), McNeal (3-3), Fleta Robles (2-2), Moorehead (2-2) and Lara Garcia (1-1).
DOUBLE FIGURE FOUR-PACK: Four players reached double figures in a game three times this season with two at Calihan Hall. At IUPUI (1/22), Murua (17 pts.), Trawally Porta (12 pts.), Fleta Robles (10 pts.) and Burch (10 pts.) all were in double digits followed by Murua (13 pts.), Burch (12 pts.), Fleta Robles (12 pts.) and Hooper (10 pts.) Against Oakland (1/18). The first time was in the Titans' home win over Miami-Hamilton by McNeal (23 pts.), Murua (19 pts.), Hooper (15 pts.) and Fleta Robles (10 pts.).
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRIFECTA: Trawally Porta, Murua and freshman
Amaya Burch each posted double-doubles against WSU (1/13). In her second career-double, Trawally Porta scored 18 points shooting a staggering 8-for-10 from the field and 1-for-1 from long range while matching a career-best 13 rebounds. Murua posted her 11th career double and third of the season with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting with 10 boards while Burch posted her second consecutive double-double and third of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The last time two Titans recorded a double-double was back on March 10, 2016 when Haleigh Ristovski (26 pts., 11 reb.) and Rosanna Reynolds (18 pts., 11 reb.) accomplished the feat against Valparaiso. It is believed this is first time in the program's modern era history that three players recoded double-doubles in the same game.
DUB-DUB MACHINE: Murua has recorded five double-double this season including in back-to-back games with her fifth of the season (10 pts., 13 reb.) at YSU (2/11) and fourth (16-pts., 12 reb.) in the win at RMU (2/9). She posted her first double-double of the season (16 pts., 11 reb.) in the win against Canisius (11/13) and added her second (13 pts., 11 reb.) at PFW (12/2). Her third (14 pts, 10 reb.) came against WSU (1/13).
GOT THAT DUB-DUB: Burch posted her second consecutive double-double (11 pts., 11 reb.) and third of the season vs WSU (1/13). In her second career double-double, Burch scored a game-high 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting (3-of-7 from 3-point range) while grabbing a career-best 16 rebounds in the Titans first #HLWBB win of the season over RMU (1/7). Her first career double-double included a career and game-high 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting and career-best 5-of-11 from three-point range while grabbing 11 rebounds against NIU (11/22).
Trawally Porta posted her first career-double with 10 points with 10 rebounds while going 2-for-2 from 3-point range and dishing a career-best three assists with four blocks defensively at Xavier (11/10), her second at WSU (18 pts., 13 reb.) and third at Oakland (16 pts., 16 reb.).
DUB-DUB THREATS: Despite leading the team with five double-doubles, Murua also has come very close on nine other occasions: 1. (12 pts., 8 reb. at Xavier 11/10), 2. (11 pts., 8 reb. at BGSU 11/28), 3. (19 pts., 9 reb. vs Miami-Hamilton 12/8), 4. (15 pts. 8 reb. vs Georgia Southern 12/11), 5. (8 pts., 11 reb. at MSU (12/17), 6. (9 pts., 11 reb. vs RMU 1/7), 7. (9 pts., 9 pts. vs Purdue Fort Wayne 1/28), 8. (8 pts., 8 reb. vs Green Bay 2/3), 9. (23 pts., 9 reb. at Oakland 2/20). Trawally Porta has also come close to on four other occasions: 1. (12 pts., 8 reb. vs NIU 11/22) 2. (14 pts., 8 reb. vs MKE 2/6), 3. (22 pts., 9 reb. at RMU 2/9). 4. (9 pts., 15 reb. vs IUPUI 2/16).
MURUA DOES IT ALL: In addition to grabbing rebounds, Murua leads the Titans in scoring (11.9 – 12th HL), made field goals (131), and steals (29) and steals per game (1.9).
POINTS IN THE PAINT: Detroit Mercy has done most of the scoring this season down low in the paint. In total, 786 of Detroit Mercy's 1502 points (52.3%) have be scored down low. The Titans scored a season-high 56 points in the paint against Miami Hamilton and 51 points in the paint of their 69 total points vs WSU (1/13) and 42 points in the paint of their 70 total points in the home opening win against Canisius.
MCNEAL BREAKS OUT: McNeal ranks second on the in scoring (9.3 ppg). In the Titans' second win of the season. She poured in a career-high 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting while adding a career-best 11-for-12 from the free throw line with three assists against Miami Hamilton (12/8). Her 11 made free throws were the most since Lexey Tobel made 11 against Eastern Michigan on Dec. 17, 2017.
MAKE EM COUNT: McNeal also leads the team and ranks second in the league in free throw percentage (83.8) followed by Fleta Robles (83.3) and Burch (70.7). McNeal has gone perfect from the charity stripe in six games this season.
SOLID AT THE LINE: Detroit Mercy had shot 75% or better from the free throw line in seven games this season with a 4-6 mark. The Titans hit a season-best 12-for-12 (100%) vs CSU (1/26) and went 13-for-14 (92.9%) at YSU (2/11). In the victory against Canisius (11/13), the Titans shot 22-for-28 (78.6%) with four players in Murua (2-2), Trawally Porta (2-2), McNeal (5-5) and freshman
Maite Lara Garcia (2-2) were perfect from the line. The Titans also shot 78.6% (11-for-14) at MSU (12/17), 14-for-18 (77.8%) at Milwaukee (12/29), 17-for-22 (77.3%) in the win over RMU (1/7), 16-for-21 (76.2%) vs Purdue Fort Wayne (1/28), 12-for-16 (75.0%) vs Milwaukee (2/5) and 12-for-16 (75%) in the win vs IUPUI (2/11). In the win against Miami-Hamilton, Detroit Mercy set season highs in free throw attempts and free throws made going 29-for-60 (68.1%).
DROPPIN' DIMES ALL AROUND: Freshman
Myonna Hooper leads the team in assists (55) and assists per game (2.0) with a career-best five dimes at Xavier (11/10), vs NKU (1/15) and at YSU (2/11). Ranking second is junior
Lucia Fleta Robles (48 total, 1.8 assists per game) and freshman Ana Cabañas Llorens in third (37 total, 1.4 assists per game) who dished out a career-high three against NIU (11/22). They are followed closely by Murua (33 total, 1.2 assists per game) with a season-high four vs WSU (1/13) and McNeal (30 total, 1.4 apg) who posted a season-high four at MSU (12/18). As a team, the Titans racked up a season-best 16 assists against Georgia Southern (12/11). They have reached double-digits assists in 13 games so far this season.
BURCH GETTING' BUCKETS: Burch has had no problem making the transition from high school to college basketball raking third on the team in scoring (8.6). She scored in double figures in her first four collegiate games and 11 overall this season. After posting 20 points in exhibition action against Davenport (11/2), she poured in a team-high 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting with four rebounds in her official collegiate debut at North Dakota (11/7), 12 points against Canisius (11/13) in the Titans first win of the season and a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds for her first career double-double vs NIU (11/22).
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN: Burch also leads the team in made 3-pointers (26) followed by McNeal (14) and Fleta Robles (13). As a team, they hit a season-high nine 3-pointers vs CSU (1/26). In both narrow setbacks at home against NIU and Georgia Southern, the Titans hit seven 3-pointers.
20 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: Four Titans have scored 20 points or more this season in Burch (23 vs NIU) and McNeal (23 vs Miami Hamilton) followed by Trawally Porta (22 at RMU) and (21 at YSU) and Murua (23 at Oakland).
EN FUEGO FLETA ROBLES: Junior
Lucia Fleta Robles has scored in double figures five times this season. She poured in a career-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 2-for-3 from 3-point range against Wright State (1/13). She reached double figures in two consecutive games with 10 points at IUPUI (1/22) and 12 points vs Oakland (1/18) along 10 points against Miami-Hamilton (12/8) and 12 at RMU (2/9).
PERFECT DAY FOR TRAWALLY PORTA: Trawally Porta scored 13 points going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line with eight rebounds in the Titans first #HLWBB win of the season over RMU (1/7). In her second game against the Colonials, Trawally Porta poured in a career-high 22 points shooting a blistering 9-for-10 from the field and 4-for-6 from the free throw line while grabbing nine rebounds.
SHE'S A CLUTCH HOOPER: Hooper posted a career-high 15 points in the Titans' win over Miami-Hamilton and has dished out a career-best five assists vs Xavier (11/10), NKU (1/15) and YSU (2/9). With 3.5 seconds remaining and Detroit Mercy clinging to three-point lead, she calmly stepped up and hit two clutch free throws to ice the game giving the Titans a 70-65 win over Canisius in the home opener and finished the game with 12 points and two assists snapping Detroit Mercy's 24-game home losing streak. She also scored five points going 3-for-4 from the free-throw line down the stretch to secure #HLWBB series sweep at RMU (2/9).
In her first career start, Hooper chipped in with seven points while dishing out a team-best five assists and three rebounds at Xavier (11/10). In her collegiate debut, she scored nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range with four assists at North Dakota (11/8).
GIVE ME THAT: The Titans grabbed a season-high 12 steals against Georgia Southern led by a career-high four from Cabañas Llorens and three from Hooper. Fleta Robles also posted a career-best five steals in the win over Miami-Hamilton (12/8).
PUT IN THE WORK: Murua (31.1) ranks 11th in the HL in minutes per game.
BAKER BALLED OUT OFF THE BENCH: Sophomore
Akyia Baker had quite the break-out performance scoring a career-high 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 3-for-4 from the free throw line with a 3-pointer coming off the bench vs NKU (1/15).
MOORE PLEASE: Junior
Jada Moorehead added a career-best 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds in her first career start for the Titans vs Georgia Southern (12/11).
CHIQUEMBA CHECKS IN: Freshman
Andrea Chiquemba saw her first collegiate action grabbing a rebound at Michigan State (12/18) and scored her first career points chipping in with four on 2-of-3 shooting from the field at Indiana State (12/21) and added five points at Green Bay (12/31) and against RMU (1/7).
FOURTH QUARTER FIREWORKS: Trailing 65-57 heading into the fourth quarter, Detroit Mercy posted a season-high 34 points on 10-of-13 shooting (76.9%) in the fourth quarter to rally past Miami Hamilton (12/8) snapping a four-game skid. The last time the Titans scored 30 points in a quarter was against Oakland on Jan. 4, 2019 when they posted 31 in the fourth.
A LONG TIME COMING: The 91 points against Miami Hamilton were the most the Titans have scored since defeating UIC, 98-76, on Dec. 31, 2016.
CABAÑAS LLORENS NAMED NIKE® #HLWBB FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Detroit Mercy women's basketball student-athlete Ana Cabañas Llorens was named Nike® Horizon League Freshman of the Week announced by the league office on Monday. Cabañas Llorens averaged 13.5 ppg and 4.5 rebounds per game (8 total) with four assists and four steals defensively, helping Detroit Mercy to a 1-1 non-conference mark for the week. In her first career start, Cabañas Llorens chipped in with nine points and four rebounds helping lead the Titans to a 91-84 win over Miami Hamilton snapping a four-game losing streak. In her second career start, Cabañas Llorens poured in a career-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting going 3-for-5 from 3-point range with a career-best four steals and four rebounds in Detroit Mercy's 82-79 overtime setback to Georgia Southern.
BURCH NAMED NIKE® #HLWBB FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Amaya Burch was named Nike® Horizon League Freshman of the Week announced by the league office on Monday. Burch, a native of Sicklerville, NJ, had quite the collegiate debut averaging 12.7 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game (17 total) per game in three games last week reaching double figures in all three contests helping Detroit Mercy to 1-2 non-conference start to the season.
CLOSE CALLS: Detroit Mercy has had two close setbacks at home. After tying the game at 63-63 with 0.6 seconds left on the clock to cap off a furious comeback, Northern Illinois made the game-winning lay-up just beating the buzzer giving the Huskies a 65-63 win. The Titans also lost the Georgia Southern in overtime.
THE IRON UNKIND: Detroit Mercy has been held scoreless in the second quarter twice this season at Bowling Green (23-0) and at Indiana State (24-0).
MIGHTY MAITE OFF THE BENCH: Freshman
Maite Lara Garcia came off the bench scoring a career-high 11 points going a perfect 5-for-5 from the field with six rebounds against NIU (11/22). She chipped in with seven points going 2-for-2 from the free throw line and 1-for-1 from 3-point range in her Titan debut at North Dakota (11/8).
LUCKY 1,300: Not only did the Titans' 70-65 home opening win over Canisius (11/13) snap a 24-game home court losing streak, it was also the 1,300th game played in program history.
EMMA FOR 3…SÍ: Last season
, Emma Trawally Porta only made one career 3-pointer against North Dakota. This season she doubled up hitting a career-best 2-for-2 from long range at Xavier (11/10) and added another 3-ball against NIU (11/22), at MSU (12/18), against Wright State (1/13) and two at YSU (2/11) for a total of seven.
SPANISH CONNECTION: This year's squad features five student-athletes from Spain consisting of three returners in juniors
Irene Murua and
Lucia Fleta Robles, one sophomore and
Emma Trawally Porta, freshman newcomers
Ana Cabañas Llorens and
Maite Lara Garcia along with one from Portugal in freshman newcomer
Andrea Chiquemba.
WHERE YOU FROM?
Georgia (1) –
Imani McNeal
Illinois (1) –
Ambranette Storr
Michigan (2) –
Myonna Hooper,
Jada Moorehead
New Jersey (1) –
Akyia Baker,
Amaya Burch
Spain (5) –
Irene Murua,
Lucia Fleta Robles,
Emma Trawally Porta,
Ana Cabañas Llorens and
Maite Lara Garcia
Portugal (1) –
Andrea Chiquemba
ACHTER ERA BEGINS: Former collegiate standout and coaching veteran
Kate Achter (OCK-terr) was named the 14th women's basketball Head Coach in school history by University of Detroit Mercy Director of Athletics Robert C. Vowels, Jr. on April 27, 2022.
Achter was an All-American student-athlete at Bowling Green and has coached at Loyola Chicago, St. Bonaventure and Xavier. Achter spent the six seasons as the Head Coach of fellow Jesuit institution Loyola Chicago, where she guided a program from 2-28 in her first season to 18-12 during the 2021-22 campaign, the most wins by the Ramblers since the 1988-89 season. In her six seasons, Loyola Chicago improved its overall win and conference victory total in five campaigns with a 10-8 mark in 2021-22 which ranked fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Under her guidance, the Ramblers collected 13 All-Conference accolades, including five All-Freshman Team selections, four All-League picks and one Freshman of the Year recipient. The team GPA also grew from a 2.4 to a 3.5 in her six seasons.
She was one of the youngest coaches in the country when she took over Loyola Chicago. Achter had to deal with a roster turnaround that included just three returning letter winners and moved the win total to seven wins in her second season, 13 in her third and a winning record of 15-14 in her fourth year, just the third winning season by the program since 1988-89, where the Ramblers also earned their first-ever postseason berth in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI).
Prior to her arrival at Loyola Chicago, she was an assistant coach and the team's recruiting coordinator at Xavier during the 2015-16 season. In that one season, she helped the program to a 17-13 overall record and aided in the development of Briana Glover, who was named an All-BIG EAST Conference selection.
Before that, she was an assistant coach and associate head coach at St. Bonaventure, helping the program to three postseason berths, highlighted by a trip to the Sweet 16 in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. St. Bonaventure posted three seasons of 20 or more wins during her tenure, including a school-record 31 wins in 2011-12, and that season, the Bonnies also won their first-ever Atlantic 10 regular-season title.
In her coaching history, she has seen student-athletes receive 21 All-Conference selections, one Freshman of the Year and one Sixth Women of the Year accolades.
A 2008 graduate of Bowling Green and a member of the 2018 Hall-Of-Fame class, Achter was a driving force as the Falcons captured four straight Mid-American Conference (MAC) titles and made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament during her playing career, highlighted by a Sweet 16 berth in 2007, the deepest run a MAC team has ever made. In her time as a student-athlete, the Falcons were 108-23 overall, including 57-7 in the MAC play. She was a three-time All-MAC selection, three-time MAC All-Tournament Team member and a MAC Tournament MVP. The All-American point guard finished her career ranked fifth on the school's all-time scoring list (1,580) and as the Falcons' all-time leader in both assists (688) and free throws made (551). Following graduation, she played professionally for one season with Palaio Faliro in Athens, Greece, before returning to BG as a graduate assistant with its strength and conditioning staff.
COACHING STAFF: Coach Achter has added a new coaching staff in Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator
Nicole "Colie" Shelwick, Assistant Coach
Juanita Cochran, Assistant Coach
Kiefer Haffey and Director of Basketball Operations
Andrea Cecil.
2022-23 HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL: Detroit Mercy was picked to finish last in the 2022-23 HL Preseason Poll with 11 points.
#HLWBB SEASON REWIND:
Detroit Mercy 57 vs IUPUI 48 (2/16/23)
Senior
Imani McNeal led the way offensively with a team-high 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting, 2-for-4 from 3-point range, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line while Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta added nine points and a career-high 15 rebounds with for blocks to spearhead a solid defensive effort as Detroit Mercy stunned defending #HLWBB champion IUPUI, 57-48, in the home finale on Thursday night at Calihan Hall.
Junior
Irene Murua was the other Titan in double figures with 11 points with seven rebounds. Junior
Lucia Fleta Robles added eight points with five rebounds and three assists while freshman
Amaya Burch chipped in with seven points and five boards. Freshman
Myonna Hooper also added six points while matching a career-best seven rebounds for the third time this season.
Detroit Mercy 67 at Youngstown State 72 (2/11/23)
For the second consecutive game sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta put forth an amazing performance scoring 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting going 2-for-3 from 3-point range and 3-for-3 from the free throw line while grabbing seven boards with three blocks as Detroit Mercy gave Youngstown State all they could handle before coming up short, 72-67, in #HLWBB action on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center. Junior
Irene Murua also posted a double-double for the second consecutive game and the fifth time of the season with 10 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
Senior
Imani McNeal poured in 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting going a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe with three assists. Freshman
Myonna Hooper matched a career-best dishing out five assists while chipping in with six points while junior
Lucia Fleta Robles also matched a career-high with four helpers. Freshman Ana Cabañas Llorens drained both of her 3-pointers to finish with six points.
Detroit Mercy 61 at Robert Morris 55 (2/9/23)
Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta delivered a huge performance pouring in a career-high 22 points shooting a blistering 9-for-10 from the field and 4-for-6 from the free throw line while grabbing nine rebounds propelling Detroit Mercy to a 61-55 win over Robert Morris to complete the #HLWBB series sweep of the Colonials. Junior
Irene Murua posted her fourth double-double of the season and 10th of her career with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting while hauling in 12 rebounds with three assists and two steals. Junior
Lucia Fleta Robles was the third Titan in double figures scoring 12 points while grabbing a career-best eight rebounds with three assists.
Detroit Mercy 57 vs Milwaukee 62 (2/5/23)
Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta scored a team-high 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds while matching a career-high five blocks marking the sixth time she has recorded four or more blocks in a game this season. Senior
Imani McNeal added 12 points while grabbing a career-best eight rebounds as Detroit Mercy played Milwaukee down to the wire before coming up short, 62-57, in #HLWBB action on Sunday afternoon at Calihan Hall. Junior
Irene Murua was the third Titan to score in double-figures with 13 points and six rebounds. Junior
Jada Moorehead chipped in with six points while freshman
Myonna Hooper had five points and team-best four assists.
Detroit Mercy 47 vs Green Bay 56 (2/3/23)
Senior
Imani McNeal scored a team-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting while junior
Irene Murua just missed a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds as Detroit Mercy gave Green Bay all they could handle in a defensive battle before coming up short 56-47 against the #HLWBB second place Phoenix on Friday night at Calihan Hall. Green Bay's 57 points were their third-lowest scoring output of the season. Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta also had eight points while junior
Jada Moorehead added seven points while grabbing a career-high eight rebounds in her double-double attempt. Junior
Lucia Fleta Robles chipped in with six points while freshman
Myonna Hooper grabbed six rebounds with three points.
Detroit Mercy 45 vs Purdue Fort Wayne 69 (1/28/23)
Junior
Irene Murua just missed a double-double with nine points going 3-for-4 from the free throw line while grabbing nine rebounds while junior
Lucia Fleta Robles also had nine points going a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe as Detroit Mercy dropped the second leg of their four-game home stand to visiting Purdue Fort Wayne, 69-45, in #HLWBB on Saturday afternoon at Calihan Hall.
Detroit Mercy 65 vs Cleveland State 107 (1/26/23)
Freshman
Amaya Burch scored a team-high 13 points reaching double-figures for the third consecutive game while junior
Irene Murua was in double-figures for the fifth straight game with 10 points going 4-for-4 from the free throw line as Detroit Mercy fell 107-65 to #HLWBB leader Cleveland State on Thursday night at Calihan Hall.
Detroit Mercy 66 vs Oakland 81 (1/18/23)
Junior
Irene Murua, freshman
Amaya Burch, junior
Lucia Fleta Robles and freshman
Myonna Hooper each scored in double figures to spark a fourth-quarter rally as Detroit Mercy battled back from 23 points down cutting the deficit to 10 points on two occasions but could not get over the hump before falling 81-66 to arch-rival Oakland in Metro Series action on Wednesday night at Calihan Hall. Murua paced the Titans with a team-high 13 points and four rebounds while Burch and Fleta Robles each had 12 points and six boards followed by Hooper who socred 10 points while matching a career-best seven rebounds with three assists. Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta added eight points with eight rebounds while freshman Ana Cabañas Llorens chipped in with six points.
Detroit Mercy 51 vs Northern Kentucky 75 (1/15/23)
Sophomore
Akyia Baker had quite the break-out performance scoring a career-high 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 3-for-4 from the free throw line with a 3-pointer while junior
Irene Murua posted a team-high 17 points (13 in the second half) on 7-of-10 shooting as Detroit Mercy scored 24 third-quarter points to rally from 23 points down cutting the deficit to nine points heading into the fourth quarter. However, it was not enough as Northern Kentucky outscored the Titans 21-6 in the final frame for a 75-51 #HLWBB win on Sunday afternoon at Calihan Hall.
Detroit Mercy 69 vs Wright State 82 (1/13/23)
Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta, junior
Irene Murua and freshman
Amaya Burch each posted double-doubles while junior
Lucia Fleta Robles added a career-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 2-for-3 from 3-point range as Detroit Mercy fell 82-69 to Wright State in #HLWBB action on Friday night at Cailan Hall. In her second career-double, Trawally Porta scored a career-high 18 points shooting a staggering 8-for-10 from the field and 1-for-1 from long range while matching a career-best 13 rebounds. Murua posted her 11th career double and sixth of the season with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting with 10 boards while Burch posted her second consecutive double-double and third of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The last time two Titans recorded a double-double was back on March 10, 2016 when Haleigh Ristovski (26 pts., 11 reb.) and Rosanna Reynolds (18 pts., 11 reb.) accomplished the feat against Valparaiso.
Detroit Mercy 64 vs Robert Morris 58 (1/7/23)
Freshman
Amaya Burch had quite the performance posting her second career double-double scoring a game-high 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting (3-of-7 from 3-point range) while grabbing a career-best 16 rebounds to lead Detroit Mercy to a 64-58 win over visiting Robert Morris on Saturday afternoon at Calihan Hall. This was the first #HLWBB win of the season for the Titans which also snapped a six-game skid and was the first home league win since the Titans defeated CSU, 70-59, on Jan. 16, 2020.
Detroit Mercy 45 vs YSU 77 (1/5/23)
After trailing at halftime by double figures, Detroit Mercy made defensive adjustments holding YSU to only seven third-quarter points after they scored 23 and 28 points in the first and second quarters respectively. However, the first-half deficit was too large to overcome as the Titans fell 77-45 to the Penguins to open a five-game #HLWBB home stand on Thursday night at Calihan Hall. Junior
Irene Murua led the Titans with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line while grabbing six rebounds along with a block and steal defensively.
Detroit Mercy 33 at Green Bay 80 (12/31/22)
Senior
Imani McNeal scored a team-high eight points on 4-of-7 shooting with six rebounds while senior
Imani McNeal added seven points as Detroit Mercy fell 80-33 in #HLWBB action at Green Bay on New Year's Eve Saturday at the Kress Center. Freshman
Andrea Chiquemba chipped in with a career-high five points while junior
Jada Moorehead grabbed a team-high and career-best seven rebounds. Freshman
Amaya Burch also had five points while freshman
Myonna Hooper and junior
Lucia Fleta Robles each had three points.
Detroit Mercy 29 at Milwaukee 63 (12/29/22)
Freshman
Myonna Hooper scored a team-high 11 points going 5-for-8 from the free throw line to reach double figures for the third time this season while Senior
Imani McNeal added six points going 4-for-4 front the charity stripe line as Detroit Mercy's offense struggled in a 63-29 #HLWBB set back at Milwaukee on Thursday night at the Klotsche Center. Sophomore
Akyia Baker chipped in with five points while connecting on her first career 3-pointer. Freshman
Amaya Burch added three points while freshman Ana Cabañas Llorens and junior
Lucia Fleta Robles had two points each. As a team, Detroit Mercy (2-10, 0-3 HL) was solid at the free throw line going 14-for-18 for a season-best 78.8% clip.
Detroit Mercy 30 at Cleveland State 86 (12/4/22)
Junior
Irene Murua reached double figures for the fourth time this season scoring 11 points while grabbing five rebounds while sophomore
Akyia Baker matched a career-best adding eight points off the bench with two assists and two rebounds as Detroit Mercy could not get the offense going at Cleveland State falling 86-30 on Sunday afternoon in #HLWBB action on Sunday afternoon at the Wolstein Center. Freshman Ana Cabañas Llorens also set a career-best coming off the bench with six points, three rebounds, and two assists. Junior
Lucia Fleta Robles and freshman
Maite Lara Garcia each chipped in with three points.
Detroit Mercy 49 at Purdue Fort Wayne 58 (12/2/22)
Junior
Irene Murua recorded her second double-double of the season scoring a team-high 13 points while grabbing 11 rebounds for the second consecutive game with two assists as Detroit Mercy came up short in a defensive battle at Purdue Fort Wayne, 58-49, in #HLWBB opening action on Friday night at the Gates Sports Center.
NON-CONFERENCE SEASON REWIND:
Detroit Mercy 47 at Indiana State 72 (12/21/22)
Junior
Irene Murua posted a team-high 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds just missing a double-double to lead Detroit Mercy's strong second half at the Titans fell 72-47 at Indiana State on Wednesday afternoon at the Hulman Center. For the fourth time this season, sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta recorded four blocks defensively just missing her career-high by one. Senior
Imani McNeal had nine points while freshman
Myonna Hooper added seven points with three boards. Freshman
Amaya Burch and junior
Lucia Fleta Robles each chipped in with six points while grabbing four and three rebounds respectively. Freshman
Andrea Chiquemba added four points for her first career points.
Detroit Mercy 41 at Michigan State 91 (12/18/22)
Freshman
Amaya Burch scored a team-high 10 points reaching double figures for the sixth time this season with four rebounds while junior
Irene Murua added eight points with a team-best 11 rebounds as Detroit Mercy fell 91-41 at Michigan State on Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center. Senior
Imani McNeal dished out a team-high five assists as the Titans (2-8) posted 12 helpers on 13 made field goals. Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta also added five points with four boards. Senior
Imani McNeal chipped in with nine points with six rebounds while Hooper finished with eight points and seven boards. Junior
Lucia Fleta Robles and freshman
Amaya Burch also chipped in with eight points each.
Detroit Mercy 79 vs Georgia Southern 82 OT (12/8/22)
In her second career start, freshman Ana Cabañas Llorens poured in a career-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting going 3-for-5 from 3-point range with four steals and four rebounds as Detroit Mercy used a late fourth-quarter rally highlighted by a 3-point bucket by freshman
Myonna Hooper to with 24.9 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. However, the Titans came up short in the extra frame falling 82-79 to visiting Georgia Southern on Sunday afternoon at Calihan Hall. Junior
Jada Moorehead added a season-best 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds while Junior
Irene Murua scored 11 second-half points to give her 15 for the game while grabbing eight rebounds and hitting 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Detroit Mercy 91 vs Miami Hamilton 84 (12/8/22)
Trailing 65-57 heading into the fourth quarter, Detroit Mercy posted a season-high 34 points on 10-of-13 shooting (76.9%) in the fourth quarter led by senior
Imani McNeal who poured in a career-high 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting while adding a career-best 11-for-12 from the free throw line with three assists as the Titans held off Miami Hamilton 91-84 to snap a four-game skid on Thursday night at Calihan Hall. The 91 points were the most the Titans have scored since defeating UIC, 98-76, in 2016.
Junior
Irene Murua reached added a season-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting just missing her career-high of 20 points while grabbing a team-best nine rebounds. Freshman
Myonna Hooper came off the bench and posted a career-best 15 points while fellow freshman Ana Cabañas Llorens chipped in with a career-best nine points with four rebounds in her first career start.
Detroit Mercy 29 at BGSU 76 (11/28/22)
Junior
Irene Murua just missed her second double-double of the season scoring eight points while grabbing 11 rebounds while sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta added six points with three blocks as Detroit Mercy had a tough night at the office falling 76-29 at Bowling Green on Monday at the Stroh Center.
Detroit Mercy 63 vs Northern Illinois 65 (11/22/22)
With three seconds left in the game, sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta took an inbound pass from senior
Imani McNeal, turned towards the baseline, and hit a pull-up jumper tying the game a 63-63 with 0.6 seconds left on the clock to cap off a furious Detroit Mercy come back. The game was looking to be heading to overtime. However, after Northern Illinois took a timeout to advance the ball to half-court, Emily Meinert broke free on a back-door cut, took a long inbounds pass from Chelby Koker and made the game-winning lay-up just beating the buzzer giving the Huskies a 65-63 win on Thursday evening at Calihan Hall.
Detroit Mercy 70 vs Canisius 65 (11/13/22)
With 3.5 seconds remaining and Detroit Mercy clinging to three-point lead, freshman
Myonna Hooper calmly stepped up and hit two clutch free throws to ice the game giving the Titans a 70-65 win over Canisius in the home opener on Sunday afternoon at Calihan Hall. The win snapped a 24-game home court losing skid. Junior
Irene Murua posted her first double-double of the season and was one of four players in double figures scoring a team-high 16 points while grabbing 11 rebounds with three steals. Hooper finished with 12 points going 8-for-12 from the charity stripe with two assists.
Detroit Mercy 57 at Xavier 71 (11/10/22)
Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta posted her first career-double matching a career-best 10 points with 10 rebounds while going 2-for-2 from 3-point range and dishing a career-best three assists with four blocks defensively for the second consecutive game in the losing effort as Detroit Mercy fell 71-57 at Xavier on Thursday night at the Cintas Center.
Detroit Mercy 61 at North Dakota 70 (11/7/22)
Sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta had quite the all-around performance scoring nine points while grabbing a career-best 11 rebounds with four blocks just missing her career-high by one. Junior
Irene Murua added six points and grabbed a career-high 17 boards as Detroit Mercy battled before falling 70-61 at North Dakota in season opening action on Monday night at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.