DETROIT (11-22-24) – After suffering their first loss of the season at MSU, the Detroit Mercy women's basketball team will look to bounce back with an in-state battle against Western Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live from Dick Vitale Court at Calihan Hall on ESPN+ with Denny Kapp (play-by-play) and Tara Fricke (analyst) on the call.
 
A Look at the Broncos:
• Western Michigan is 1-3 on the season and has lost three consecutive games most recently with a 79-42 setback against MSU.
• The Broncos finished the 2023-24 season 12-18 overall and 7-11 in conference play.
• Graduate Student guard Hannah Spotzley leads the team in scoring (8.8 ppg) and in rebounds per game (3.0).
• Junior guard Marina Asensio leads the squad in assists per game (3.3).
 
All-Time Series:
• Western Michigan leads the all-time series 20-15.
• The Titans' 62-59 over WMU last season snapped a seven-game skid against the Broncos.
 
A win would…
• Give UMD its second consecutive win over WMU for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
 
WMU Rewind:
Dec. 6, 2023 - Detroit Mercy 62 at Western Michigan 59
After Western Michigan battled all the back from an 18-point deficit and the Detroit Mercy clinging to a one-point lead, 57-56, with 11 seconds to go, senior Annika Corcoran came up clutch in just her second game back sinking 5-of-6 free throws within the final 11 seconds lifting the Titans to a 62-59 win at WMU on Wednesday night at University Arena. The win snapped a seven-game skid against the Broncos and marked the first time UDM has won three consecutive games since the 2016-17 season. It also marks the first time the Titans have a 7-3 record to start the season in over two decades since the 1999-00 season.
 
With 11 ticks on the clock, Corcoran hit her first free throw and then missed the second, however, she was able to move inside the paint to grab her own rebound off the back of a WMU (4-4) player forcing the Broncos to foul her again. This time, she calmly stepped up and sank both attempts, moving the Titans ahead 60-56.
 
Time for some MACTION:
• The Western Michigan game is UDM's second home of three home installments against teams from the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
• The season-opening win over BGSU was the first and Eastern Michigan (11/26) will be the third.
• Last season, UDM went 2-1 against MAC competition, opening the season with a 68-38 win at Eastern Michigan (11/6) followed by a 62-59 victory at Western Michigan (12/6) and a 75-66 setback at Northern Illinois.
 
Last Time Out:
Game 3 - Detroit Mercy 44 at Michigan State 101 - Nov. 20, 2024:
Freshman Kailey Starks had a solid breakout game against some tough competition, scoring a team-high 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and 5-for-6 from the free throw line with four steals defensively as Detroit Mercy suffered their first lost of the season with a 101-44 setback at Michigan State on Wednesday night at the Breslin Center.
 
Fifth-year senior Aaliyah McQueen added seven points with six rebounds, while senior Alize Tripp chipped in with six points, going a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Makayla Jackson also added six points, with freshman Anna Lassan scoring five points, going 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
 
I'll Take That:
• Detroit Mercy leads the Horizon League is steals per game (10.67)
 
Starks with the Spark off the Bench:
• Freshman Kailey Starks had a solid breakout game against some tough competition, scoring a team-high 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and 5-for-6 from the free throw line with four steals defensively at Michigan State (11/20).
 
Q Making Quite the Impact:
• Fifth-year senior Aaliyah McQueen, known to the team as "Q", posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting and 3-for-6 from behind the arc with four assists in UDM's season-opening win over BGSU snapping a 10-game skid against the Falcons (11/8).
• She is the first player to post a double-double in her Titan debut since Ellisha Crosby had 15 points and 11 boards at Canisius in 2013.
• She followed up her debut by scoring a team-high 16 points, shooting 4-for-9 from the field, 3-for-6 from 3-point range, and 5-for-6 from the free throw line with two assists while grabbing four rebounds and four steals defensively, helping the Titans hand Bellarmine their first loss of the season (11/16).
 
Biggie Breaking Out:
• Graduate student and Detroit, Mich. native Emaia "Biggie" O'Brien had quite the homecoming as the third player in double figures with 12 points, going 2-for-6 from behind the arc in UDM's season-opening win over BGSU snapping a 10-game skid against the Falcons (11/8).
• Scored in double figures with 11 points with six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in UDM's win over Bellarmine (11/16).
 
Hooper Named Under Armour® #HLWBB Player of the Week:
• Junior guard Myonna Hooper was named Under Armour® Horizon League Player of the Week announced by the league office on Monday (11/11).
• Hooper, a native of West Bloomfield, Mich., poured in a career-high 24 points on 7-for-9 shooting, 2-for-4 from 3-point range, and 8-for-11 from the free throw line, with four assists and two boards to lead Detroit Mercy to a solid 73-66 season-opening win over Bowling Green.
• UDM's win snapped a 10-game skid against Head Coach Kate Achter's alma mater and was the first win over the Falcons since a 67-62 decision on Nov. 20, 2002.
 
She's a Hooper:
• After being named Under Armour® Horizon League Player of the Week last week, Hooper posted a team-high 16 points, going 4-for-5 from the free throw line in UDM's win over Bellarmine (11/16).
 
Jackson Earned Starting Spot:
• After seeing action in 33 games last season, sophomore Makalya Jackson has earned a spot in the starting lineup.
• Was one of four players in double-figures with 10 points going 4-for-5 from the free throw line while posting a career-high with four steals in UDM's win over Bellarmine (11/16).
• Chipped in with six points matching career-high with two steals and blocks in season-opening win over BGSU snapping a 10-game skid against the Falcons (11/8).
 
Edwards Doing Work Down Low:
• Graduate student Jasmine Edwards also earned a starting lineup spot.
• Just missed a double-double with 11 rebounds and nine points, going 5-for-8 from the charity stripe in UDM's win over Bellarmine (11/16).
 
Squad Breakdown: The Titans will take the floor this season with four returners and 10 newcomers totaling 15 student-athletes.
 
International Flavor: This year's squad features two student-athletes from two different countries in returners Maddie Diabate (France) and Latifa Amzil (Finland).
 
Where You From?
Michigan (7) – Maya Anderson, Jasmine Edwards, Myonna Hooper, Anna Lassan, Aaliyah McQueen, Emaia O'Brien, Alize Trip.
Indiana (3) – Katie Burton, Chanteese Craig, Addisen Mastriano
Illinois (1) – Kailey Starks
Virginia (1) – Makayla Jackson
France (1) – Maddie Diabate
Finland (1) – Latifa Amzil
 
What a Season it Was: After building a solid foundation during her first season, Head Coach Kate Achter (OCK-terr) begins her third season after leading an epic program turnaround during the 2023-24 campaign.
 
In just her second season, Achter completely transformed the program leading Detroit Mercy to a 17-16 (9-11 HL) record during the 2023-24 campaign, marking the first winning season since the 2016-17 season. The 12-win improvement over last year was the biggest turnaround in school history and one of the tops in the nation as the Titans won just 19 total games the previous six years combined. UDM's nine #HLWBB wins were also the most since the 2016-17 season, including wins over 2023-24 #HLWBB Regular Season champion Cleveland State and third-place finisher Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
Additional 2023-24 Season Milestones:
• No. 6 seed Detroit Mercy's 59-48 first-round win over No. 11 seed RMU was their first #HLWBB Championship first-round victory since the 2016-17 season.
• With the 64-59 win over IUPUI, Detroit Mercy recorded their 16th regular season, which is the highest win total since the 2016-17 season. The win also earned the No. 6 seed in the 2024 Barbasol #HLWBB Championship, which is the highest seed since the Titans were a No. 3 seed in the 2017 HL Tournament and advanced to the championship game against Green Bay.
• The Titans finished non-conference play with a 7-4 record for the first time in 31 years since the 1991-92 season including wins over Midwest programs in Bellarmine, Dayton, Eastern Michigan, and Western Michigan.
• Detroit Mercy went 11-5 to start the season for the first time in over two decades since the 1999-00 season. During that season, the Titans started 15-4 and ended 18-9 overall and 9-5 in MCC (Mid-Western Collegiate Conference) play.
• UDM's win over RMU (2/8) completed the series sweep over the Colonials for the second consecutive season.
• During the week of Jan. 29, UDM received two votes in the 2023-24 College Insider.com Mid-Major Poll for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
• UDM's win over CSU snapped a six-game skid against the Vikings.
• The Titans' win over Milwaukee snapped an 11-game skid against the Panthers.
• UDM's win over PFW snapped a five-game skid against the Mastodons.
• Detroit Mercy's win over Northern Kentucky snapped a 13-game skid against the Norse.
• The victory over arch-rival Oakland snapped a 12-game skid against the Golden Grizzlies and was the Titans' first #MetroSeries win since 2017.
• UDM's win at Youngstown State snapped a 10-game skid against the Penguins and marked the first time the Titans won a #HLWBB opener since the 2016-17 season when they defeated Valparaiso 85-60 on Dec. 29, 2016.
• The Titans' over WMU snapped a seven-game skid against the Broncos.
• The win over USC Upstate was the first time since the 2001-02 season UDM started with a 4-2 record and marked the first time the Titans won two consecutive games since the 2016-17 season.
• UDM's win at Dayton moved marked the first time since the 2010-11 season the Titans started with a 3-2 record.
• The Titans won both games by a 30-point and 35-point margin. The last time the UDM posted back-to-back 30-point wins was during the 2012-13 season when they
defeated Lourdes, IPFW and Madonna.
• Detroit's Mercy's win over Chicago State moved the Titans to 2-0 to start the season for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
• UDM's win over EMU snapped a four-game skid against the Eagles and marked the Titans' first season-opening win since the 2018-19 season.
• Additionally, it was UDM's first season-opening road win since the 2016-17 season and was the Titans' first win over a Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponent since they defeated the Eagles, 77-64, on Dec. 6, 2016.
 
Sticking Around:
• After leading the historic turnaround last season, Head Coach Kate Achter agreed to a contract extension through the 2028-29 season.

Coaching Staff Promotions: Assistant Coach Kiefer Haffey was promoted to Associate Head Coach and Co-Recruiting Coordinator while Assistant Coaches Juanita Cochran and Andrea Cecil were elevated to Co-Recruiting Coordinator and Director of Player Development respectively.
 
Capaldi Joins the Staff: Antonio Capaldi joined the staff as an Assistant Coach will assist in player development and comes to the Titans after spending two seasons as an Assistant Coach on the women's basketball staff at Alma College in Michigan.
 
In his tenure at Alma, Capaldi aided in the development of three All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) selections in Taylor Sas (First Team and Second Team) and Brooke LeRoux (Second Team).
 
During the 2023-24 campaign, Capaldi helped lead the Scots to a 9-7 MIAA mark and 13-13 overall record with historic wins over two ranks opponents in No. 4 Hope College and No. 21 Wittenberg University for the first time since 1993.
 
Before Alma, Capaldi was an Assistant Coach with the Concordia (Mich.) women's basketball staff under then-Head Coach Haffey.
 
2024-25 #HLWBB Preseason Poll: Detroit Mercy was picked to finish eight in the 2024-25 Under Armour #HLWBB Preseason Poll with 39 points as voted on by each member institution's Head Coach and announced by the league office.
 
Season Rewind:
Four Titans Score in Double Figures in Win Over Bellarmine
Game 2 - Detroit Mercy 73 vs Bellarmine 71 - Nov. 16, 2024:
Detroit Mercy had four players reach double figures, led by fifth-year senior Aaliyah McQueen and junior Myonna Hooper with 16 each followed by graduate student Emaia O'Brien with 11 points and sophomore Makayla Jackson with 10 points as the Titans defeated Bellarmine 73-71 handing the Knights their first loss of the season on Saturday afternoon.
 
Graduate student Jasmine Edwards just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. Detroit Mercy (2-0) was active on the defensive end grabbing 16 steals with McQueen and Jackson having four each. The Titans also posted 29 points off 21 Bellarmine (3-1) turnovers.
 
Titans Hold Off Bowling Green to Secure Season Opening Win
Game 1 - Detroit Mercy 73 vs Bowling Green 66 - Nov. 8, 2024:
Junior Myonna Hooper poured in a career-high 24 points on 7-for-9 shooting, 2-for-4 from 3-point range, 8-for-11 from the free throw line, with four assists to lead Detroit Mercy to a solid 73-66 win over Bowling Green in home opening action on Friday night at Calihan Hall. The Titans' win snapped a 10-game skid against Head Coach Kate Achter's alma mater and was the first win over the Falcons since a 67-62 decision on Nov. 20, 2002.
 
It's All About the Kids
Exhibition Game: Detroit Mercy 100 vs UM-Dearborn 53 - Nov. 6, 2024
For the second consecutive season, the game was part of Field Trip Day, where the Titans hosted students from multiple grade schools from the Metro Detroit area to give back to the community.