FORT WAYNE, Ind. (3-7-24) - Senior
Irene Murua just missed a double-double with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting with nine boards to reach the 1000 career-point milestone over three years in a Titan uniform. Junior
Emma Trawally Porta was the only player in double figures with 10 points going 2-fo-3 from long range with seven rebounds as No. 6 Detroit Mercy struggled offensively with a 66-35 setback at No. 3 Purdue Fort Wayne to conclude a memorable season in 2024 Barbasol #HLWBB Championship quarterfinal action on Thursday night. Sophomore
Myonna Hooper also finished with nine points.
Hooper opened the game by scoring six points but those were the only points the Detroit Mercy (17-16) could produce in the first quarter.
Trawally Porta hit two 3-pointers in the second quarter while graduate student
Imani McNeal hit UDM's third triple of the frame to cut the deficit to 10 points at 28-18 heading into the locker rooms at the half.
Murua scored six of the Titans' 10 points in the third quarter but PFW (21-11) closed out the frame on a 10-2 run outscoring the Titans 17-10 overall to take a commanding 45-28 lead.
UDM's hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed as the Titans could not get the offense going, only scoring seven points in the frame while the Dons posted 21 points to close out the game.
Despite the loss, Detroit Mercy achieved many milestones during the 2023-24 season:
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 victory since the 2016-17 season.
• Detroit Mercy's 17 overall wins and nine #HLWBB wins were the highest win total since the 2016-17 season.
• 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.
• The Titans finished non-conference play with a 7-4 record for the first time in 31 years since the 1991-92 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 NKU snapped a 13-game skid against the Norse.
• The victory over Oakland snapped a 12-game skid against the Golden Grizzlies and was the Titans' first #MetroSeries win since 2017.
• UDM's win at YSU 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 win 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.
