DETROIT (1-27-24) - Sophomore
Amaya Burch posted a season-high 20 points going 4-for-6 from 3-point range and 7-for-12 overall with three assists while just missing a double-double with nine boards as Detroit Mercy used a late 14-1 fourth-quarter run to stun #HLWBB leader Cleveland State, 69-56, snapping a six-game skid to the Vikings on Saturday afternoon at Calihan Hall.
Junior
Emma Trawally Porta also just missed a double-double with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds with two blocks. Senior
Irene Murua was the third player in double-figures with 10 points and three assists.
In the absence of sophomore
Myonna Hooper, freshman
Paris Gilmore got the nod in the starting lineup and stepped up with nine points while dishing out a career-best five assists. Graduate student
Imani McNeal added seven points with two steals.
Detroit Mercy's (14-8, 7-4 HL) late run in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference while Titans' defense stepped up holding CSU (18-4, 9-2 HL) to only one nine points for the entire frame and just one point off a free throw and no field goals over the final 6:09 to close out the game.
The Vikings opened the fourth quarter with a quick four points to take their first lead of the game at 51-49. Burch then nailed her fourth triple of the game followed by a coast-to-coast layup by McNeal which put the Titans up 54-51 forcing a CSU timeout at the 7:01 mark. The Vikings added a 3-pointer and free throw tying the game at 55-55 with 6:09 to go.
It was all UDM after that as Trawally-Porta hit a layup giving the Titans the lead for good. After a pair of Gilmore free throws, McNeal hit her only 3-ball of the game followed by a clutch jumper from senior
Jada Moorehead. Murua then added another layup increasing the lead to 10 points, 66-56, with 54 seconds left. UDM then closed things out from the free-throw line finishing 13-for-16 (81.3%) for the game.
In the first half, Detroit Mercy got off to a blistering start with a 10-0 run to start the game and 18-5 clip overall. The Vikings responded, closing the frame with a 9-2 clip to trail by six points, 20-14.
The Titans kept the Vikings at bay for most of the second quarter leading by five points at 29-25 mid-way through the frame. After CSU cut the lead to three points with 1:20 left, Trawally Porta connected on a layup with 13 seconds left just beating the shot clock to give UDM a 36-31 lead heading into the locker room.
After UDM extended their lead to 45-38 by the third quarter media timeout, however, CSU went on a 9-3 spurt to pull with a bucket at 49-47 at the end of the frame.
Detroit Mercy continues #HLWBB play at Northern Kentucky on Wednesday, Jan 31, at 11 a.m.
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