DETROIT (2-13-25) - It was an all-around defensive grind as Detroit Mercy outlasted Milwaukee, 50-46, to snap a five-game losing skid led by
Makayla Jackson, who was the only player to reach double-figures with 11 points and four rebounds on Thursday night at Calihan Hall.
Since points were hard to come by, each player contributed as graduate student
Katie Burton had nine points with seven rebounds while graduate student
Emaia O'Brien also had nine points with five boards.
Fifth-year senior
Aaliyah McQueen had eight points with a team-high nine rebounds, with graduate student
Jasmine Edwards also adding eight points with eight boards.
Detroit Mercy (13-10, 7-8 HL) had 14 steals and held a 34-20 points in the paint advantage over Milwaukee (6-21, 3-13 HL). The Panthers held a slim 21-20 points off turnovers advantage.
UDM held a 48-40 lead in the fourth quarter and saw Milwaukee go on a 6-0 run to pull within a bucket at 48-46 with 41 seconds to go. After a missed shot by Burton, the Titans' defense forced a traveling call down low to get the ball back. After Milwaukee had to intentionally foul, O'Brien stepped up and nailed a clutch pair of free throws to seal the deal with four seconds left.
In the first half, the Titans took an early 6-0 lead to open the game and held a 15-14 lead before the Panthers connected on a 30-ft. 3-pointer to beat the buzzer for their first lead of the game at 17-15 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams shot over 50% from the field for the frame.
UDM opened the second quarter, crashing the offensive glass which led to a 10-2 run spearheaded by second-chance points to move back ahead at 27-19. The Panthers then hit their second straight buzzer-beater with a layup to trail by four points, 27-23 at the break.
The third quarter was a defensive battle, with Milwaukee holding a 9-8 scoring advantage. Titans got back-two-back hoops from Edwards, followed by a layup from O'Brien to lead by three points, 35-32, going into the fourth quarter.
Detroit Mercy welcomes Green Bay on Senior Day Sat. Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
