DAYTON, Ohio. (2-25-23) - Detroit Mercy had four players reach double figures led by junior
Irene Murua who posted her sixth double-double of the season scoring a team-high 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting with 10 rebounds followed by sophomore
Emma Trawally Porta who had 10 points, eight rebounds and new career-high six blocks as the Titans rallied scored 20 points in the fourth quarter but could not get over the hump falling 86-74 in the #HLWBB regular-season finale on Saturday afternoon at the Nutter Center. Senior
Imani McNeal scored 17 points for the second time this season grabbing six boards with her first career block and three steals while freshman
Myonna Hooper reached double figures for the fifth time this season with 10 points and her second block of the season. Detroit Mercy enters the 2023 Barbasol #HLWBB Championships as the No. 11 seed and will play at No. 6 seed Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Detroit Mercy (5-24, 3-17 HL) recorded a season-high eight blocks defensively and posted a season-best 60 points in the paint. Junior
Lucia Fleta Robles added eight points with four from freshman
Amaya Burch, three from junior
Jada Moorehead, and two from freshman
Maite Lara Garcia.
Trailing by 18 points, 72-54, entering the fourth quarter, Hooper completed a three-point play capping off a 7-0 run as Detroit Mercy outscored the Raiders 17-9 to cut the deficit to 10 points at 81-71 with 3:21 left in the game. However, the Titans were only able to connect on one basket from the field the rest of the way by McNeal along with a free throw from Moorehead while WSU added a pair of buckets and a free throw to put the game out of reach.
The Titans tried to mount a comeback in the third quarter scoring 21 points but that was not enough as the Raiders' offensive exploded scoring 33 points of shooting a blistering 11-for-13 (73.3%) from the field.
In the first half, UDM took a 16-12 lead after the first quarter but WSU opened the second quarter on an 11-4 run to take a 23-20 lead en route to a 27-point frame to take a 39-33 lead at the half.
