DAYTON, Ohio. (1-8-25) - Detroit Mercy battled back from a 10-point halftime deficit with a second-half rally, but came up short as junior
Myonna Hooper's game-tying 3-point bid at the buzzer rimmed out as the Titans fell 67-64 at Wright State on Wednesday night at the Nutter Center.
Fifth-year senior
Aaliyah McQueen had another great performance, scoring a game-high 24 points with 11 rebounds, securing her third double-double of the season while coming up short of a triple-double with six steals defensively.
Freshman
Kailey Starks matched a season second-best with 13 points with three boards, while graduate student
Emaia O'Brien was held to since digits with eight points for only the second time all season. Senior
Maddie Diabate chipped in with a career-best six points, making her second consecutive start. Hooper finished with seven points.
Wright State's (3-14, 1-6 HL) hot shooting from 3-point range and timely baskets were the difference in the first half. The Raiders got two buzzer-beating jumpers to end each quarter while shooting a blistering 7-for-11 from beyond the arc to take a 38-28 lead at the half.
Detroit Mercy (10-4, 4-2 HL) got a buzzer-beater of their own as Diabate connected on a layup, capping off a late 12-4 third-quarter run pulling UDM within six points, 49-43, heading into the fourth.
UDM's run moved to 16-4 as they scored the first four points to pull within two at 49-47 to open the fourth quarter before WSU connected on a layup to end the drought. McQueen hit a layup to tie the game at 53-53 before WSU responded to move back ahead by two points at the 4:26 media timeout.
After UDM tied the game once again at 55-55, the Raiders connected on an and-1 opportunity before McQueen nailed a 3-ball to draw even at 58-58. WSU responded with a 7-0 run to move ahead 65-58 with 1:08 to go. The Titans clawed back as McQueen scored the next six points with a pair of free throws and two layups pulling UDM within a point at 65-64 with six seconds left. WSU hit a pair of free throws after a UDM foul to go up 67-64. After the Titans called a time-out to advance the ball, Hooper got the ball in the corner and couldn't connect on her 3-point shot as time expired.
Detroit Mercy returns to Calihan Hall for a Metro Series showdown against arch-rival Oakland on Sat., Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. on ESPN+
