Game Notes vs. Butler

Horizon League Network

Live Stats (link will be available by game time)

DETROIT – For the second year in a row, Detroit and Butler will meet up in the conference tournament as the Titans head to Indianapolis and Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday for a Horizon League quarterfinals showdown with the Bulldogs. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. (EST).

No. 7 Detroit and No. 2 Butler split the regular season as the Bulldogs claimed a 72-66 win in Calihan Hall, while UDM went into Hinkle Fieldhouse and pulled out a 55-51 victory.

Detroit advanced to the quarterfinals thanks to a hot-shooting second half, led by sophomore Cherridy Thornton. She had 16 of her career-high 25 in the second stanza as the Titans erased an 11-point second half deficit to come back and defeat No. 10 Valparaiso, 57-50. As a team, UDM connected on 59.1 percent (13-of-22) in the second half compared to the 7-of-29 (24.1 %) showing in the first.

The game will be broadcast live on the Horizon League Network. Fans can also follow the Titans with live stats. Both links will be posted on top of the release and on the schedule page once they become available.

DETROIT VS. BUTLER
Detroit leads the overall series, 32-26, after ending a 12-game losing streak to Butler with a 55-51 victory on the road in early February.

The win also stopped a five-game slide in Hinkle Fieldhouse, where the Titans improved to 12-16 all-time.

Detroit is 2-3 against Butler all-time in the Horizon League Championship.

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Butler started the conference season at 8-1 the first time around, but went 4-5 in the second go-around to end the year at 12-6 in HL play and 18-12 overall.

The Bulldogs did earn second place in the standings for the second consecutive saeason.

Butler is led by its two All-Horizon League second team players in Brittany Bowen and Chloe Hamilton. Bowen leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points and is second in rebounding at 6.2 per game, while Hamilton is right with her in both stats leading the team in rebounding (6.7) and second in scoring (14.2) BU also has the HL Sixth Player of the Year in Alyssa Pittman, who tallied 11.8 points, while leading the team in assists (62) and steals (60).

CHERRIDY TO THE RESCUE
Sophomore Cherridy Thornton put the Titans on her back in Detroit's 57-50 win over Valparaiso in the first round.

During a 25-6 run that saw Detroit erase an 11-point second half deficit, she accounted for 14 points on four triples and a layup.

She would finish the second half with 16 of her game and career-high 25 points. She was 9-of-16 from the field and 6-of-11 from three-point range. She also grabbed six rebounds and had three assists and three steals.

The nine made field goals and six 3-pointers were also career highs.

DETROIT'S LUCKY NUMBERS
Sophomore Cherridy Thornton and junior Lauren Allen seem to bring out the winning formula for the Titans

On the year, Detroit is 4-0 when Thornton scores 20+ points and 6-2 when she grabs at least five rebounds in a game.

For Allen, UDM is also 4-2 on the season and 17-8 in her career when she reaches double digits in scoring.

UDM HOLDING TEAMS UNDER 60
Detroit held Valparaiso to just 50 points on Monday in the first round of the HL championship, the 11th time this year that UDM held an opponent under 60 points.

The Titans have also twice held an opponent under 50 with a 52-43 victory against Youngstown State and a 67-48 win at Michigan.

UDM is currently third in the HL allowing just 63.0 points per game.

LAST TIME VS. BUTLER
Every Titan that played scored and Detroit needed every last point as UDM defeated Butler, 55-51, in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Sophomore Cherridy Thornton led the way with a game-high 14 points, while sophomore Yar Shayok had 12 points and nine rebounds.

The Titans were up by one, 33-32, with 16:10 to go in the second period, when Detroit took the lead for good with a 13-3 run over the next six minutes to jump out in front, 46-35.

The home team answered with a run of its own as Butler got within two, 47-45, on the strength of a 10-1 charge. Detroit was up by just two, 49-47, when Thornton and junior Britney Murphy connected on back-to-back baskets to push the Titan advantage back to six, 53-47, with just under three minutes left.

Neither team would score much down the stretch, but the red, white and blue did see Butler pull within two again, 53-51 with 36 seconds left, but Detroit sealed the win with some key late free throws.

The Titans shot 43 percent and hit five important 3-pointers on the night. Defensively, they held the Bulldogs to just 2-of-11 from behind the arc, while forcing 15 turnovers. Detroit also won the battle of the boards, 32-25, including holding the Bulldogs to just two offensive rebounds

FIRST TIME VS. BUTLER
After being down by as many as 12 twice in the second half, Detroit put together a spirited comeback that just came up short as the Titans fell to Butler, 72-66, at Calihan Hall.

Sophomore Demeisha Fambro led the way with a team-high 16 points, while sophomore Dominique Dixon had 15 and junior Jalesa Jones netted 12. Dixon also added five rebounds.

The Titans were down by 12, 50-38, with 9:56 remaining when Fambro scored on back-to-back possessions to cut it to eight. After a Butler 3-pointer, the Titans ran off six-straight points to cut the deficit to just five, 53-48, with 7:40 left in the game.

The Bulldogs recovered with an 8-1 run to push their advantage back to 12, 61-49, this time with 5:36 left in the contest, but Detroit countered again with a 7-0 burst of its own. Fambro had back-to-back steals which saw her hit a layup and Dixon a 3-pointer to once again close within five at 61-56.

The Titans never gave up and got to within a point, on two occasions, but Butler was able to win the game hitting 7-of-8 free throws in the final two minutes of play.

GOOD NUMBERS VS. BUTLER
Sophomore Yar Shayok leads the way as the Titan forward is averaging 11.6 points and 9.4 rebounds in five career games. She has been in double digits in scoring four times.

Junior Jalesa Jones has three double-digit scoring outings and is tallying 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in seven career games against Butler, while sophomore Cherridy Thornton went for 14 points in her only game versus the Bulldogs this season.

HL POSTSEASON HISTORY
Detroit has two Horizon League championships to its credit. The Titans captured the 1987 title with a 21-6 record and a 10-2 mark in MCC play, as there was no tournament held.

UDM's other championship came with current head coach Autumn Rademacher leading the way in 1997 as Detroit defeated Wright State, Milwaukee and Green Bay - in Green Bay - to raise the banner and advance to its only NCAA tournament.

For her efforts, Rademacher was named to the All-Tournament team.

The Titans have also finished runner-up four times (1999, 2002, 2003, 2004) with each loss in the championship game to the Phoenix.

ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD
The Titans are 20-20 all-time in the HL's postseason tournament, including a 6-4 record when they are the No. 7 seed.

The last time Detroit was a seven seed was in 2005 and UDM started that postseason by upsetting second-seeded Milwaukee, 59-42.

UDM also reached the title game as a seven seed in 2003, defeating No. 2 UIC and No. 6 Cleveland State along the way.

In 1995, the Titans reached the semifinals with wins over No. 10 Loyola and No. 2 Butler.

LOOKING FOR A LITTLE REVENGE
Detroit advanced to the HL Championship semifinals last year only to fall to Butler, 69-55, at the Kress Center in Green Bay.

Detroit is 2-3 all-time against Butler in the conference tournament.

THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR WITH A POSTSEASON HOME GAME
For the third year in a row, Detroit won a Horizon League tournament game as the seventh-seeded Titans downed No. 10 Valparaiso, 57-50, in the first round.

UDM was an eight seed in 2009 when the Titans defeated No. 9 Loyola, 72-67, while last year, Detroit was the No. 3 seed and once again met up with the Ramblers, a sixth seed, with the red, white and blue winning, 75-62.