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DETROIT -- Senior Tayler Langham (Plymouth, MI/Salem) notched a career-high 16 points to lead three Titans in double-digit scoring as the Detroit women's basketball team opened the new season with a 58-53 victory over in-state rival Oakland on Friday night at Calihan Hall.

“Tayler (Langham) came in and did one heck of a job so we are very excited about the positives and that we were able to finish the game, even though we had some mental errors at the end,” said head coach Autumn Rademacher. “But, a win is a win and I am very pleased with that and now on to the next one,”

Langham was perfect from the field going 5-for-5, including a crucial 3-pointer down the stretch, along with a 5-for-5 day from the free throw line. She also grabbed five rebounds in her 20 minutes of work.

Junior Lauren Allen (Rochester Hills, MI/Rochester) had 15 points, eight boards and four assists, while sophomore Demeisha Fambro (Detroit, MI/Crockett Tech) netted 12 points. Allen, who never left the court playing all 40 minutes, hit seven of her 15 shots.

Oakland took control of the game early by building an eight-point lead, but the Titans fought back to tie the game and eventually go out in front. Trailing by three, 24-21 with 4:42 left in the first half, Langham got inside for the bucket and a foul, converting the free throw for the old fashioned three-point play.

After an OU score, Detroit ended the first period on a 6-0 run, thanks in large part to four more points by Langham, to take a 32-26 lead into the locker room.

The Golden Grizzlies had a comeback of their own, knotting the score at 38 all in the second stanza, but from there, the red, white and blue went on an 11-3 spurt to once again go up by eight, 49-41, with just over 11 minutes to go. Fambro started the burst with a basket and followed that on the next possession with a 3-pointer.

The Titans would see their lead cut to three, 51-48, at the 4:30 mark, but junior guard Jalesa Jones (Detroit, MI/Pershing), who played just four minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, fed a pass to Langham who nailed a trey to push the lead back to six. Langham would ice the game with a pair of free throws with under a minute left as Detroit won its second straight season opener over Oakland.

Detroit forced OU into 16 turnovers on the night, while their bench outscored the Golden Grizzlies, 33-9. Bethany Watterworth led the way for the visitors with 17 points, while Sharise Calhoun added 14 points and nine rebounds.

Detroit continues its season opening three-game homestand on Tuesday when Ball State visits the Motor City. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.

Game Notes:
Lauren Allen made the first basket of the season for Detroit connecting on a 3-pointer… Yar Shayok was limited to four points and nine rebounds, compared to the 26-point, 14-rebound performance she posted against Oakland last year…Both teams had a tough time shooting from the outside as Oakland was 4-of-18 and Detroit 4-of-19…Freshmen Senee Shearer and Megan Hatter made their collegiate debuts with Shearer adding five points.