GAMEDAY CENTRAL.       Game Notes

DETROIT (12/29/12) -- The first part of the Holiday season is over and just one game remains in 2012 as the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team heads to the Sunshine State to meet the South Florida Bulls on New Year's Eve. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m., at the Sun Dome on Monday.

There will be a live webstream – available for a $10.95 fee - and live stats for this contest. Titan fans can follow every UDM game this season through the women's basketball GAMEDAY CENTRAL page located on the Titans Athletic Website that will keep fans one click away from all the action. This page will feature links for live stats (audio and video when applicable) as well as links for all the latest info while also making it easy to find the Titans on social media and to purchase photos and game tickets.

The contest will be the first in nine days for Detroit as it was last in action on Dec. 22, posting a 90-43 victory over Madonna to move to 7-4. Sophomore Shareta Brown led the way with a game-high 28 points and now leads the nation in scoring (26.2) and field-goal percentage (64.0%).

The game against USF marks the last non-conference match-up of the regular season for UDM as it will open conference play at Green Bay on Jan. 8. The Titans already have seven non-conference victories on the year, the most since they had eight during the 2000-01 campaign.

The University of South Florida opened the season with eight-straight wins, but has dropped two of its last three heading into its three-game homestand. USF will host local-rival Florida A&M on Saturday before the Titans visit on Monday afternoon.

The Bulls are averaging 71.7 ppg., and have posted a 17.3 scoring margin on the year, just a few points better than Detroit's Horizon League-leading 15.5.

USF has a veteran roster with eight seniors and 10 upperclassmen. Senior guard Andrell Smith leads the team in scoring (16.1) and assists (4.0), while her twin sister Andrea Smith is second on the team in scoring (15.7). Junior Inga Orekhova is the third Bulls' player in double figures at 11.4 ppg., while senior Tahira Johnson tops the team with 6.1 rebounds per game.

THE UDM-USF SERIES
This is the first career meeting between the University of Detroit Mercy and the University of South Florida.

ROCKIN' NEW YEAR'S EVE
This is the third-straight year that Detroit has played on New Year's Eve and the fifth time in school history.

UDM is 1-3 all-time on Dec. 31, with its only win last year at home against Valparaiso, 68-52.

AGAINST THE BIG EAST
Detroit is 19-43 all-time against current members of the BIG EAST, but most of the losses are due to a 2-22 record against fellow Catholic institution and former MCC-rival Notre Dame.

The last time UDM faced a BIG EAST school was in 2009 falling at Cincinnati, 65-58, while the Titans last win against the conference was on Dec. 30, 1993, when the red, white and blue defeated Syracuse on the road, 74-71.

VS. THE SUNSHINE STATE
UDM is 9-3 all-time against teams from Florida, but has not visited the Sunshine State since playing in the UCF Holiday Classic in 2002, falling to host Central Florida (61-48) and beating Bethune-Cookman (76-61).

COACH RAD NEARING A MILESTONE
With a win against Madonna its last time out, head coach Autumn Rademacher evened  her career record to 69-69, the first time it has been at .500 while at Detroit.

Her 69 career victories is just one away from tying Sue Kreszewski (1977-80) - the first coach in Titan history - for third in school history.

Fred Procter (1990-96) leads UDM with 93 career wins, while DeWayne Jones (1983-90) is at 91.

When Coach Rademacher took over her alma mater in 2008, UDM was coming off back-to-back last-place finishes in the HL and had just 11 total wins from 2006-08.

In her time, Detroit has posted two winning seasons, a 20-win campaign, four-straight years with a conference tournament victory and a trip to the WNIT in 2012, the first postseason action for UDM since the 1997 NCAA Tournament.

BROWN LEADING THE NATION
Sophomore Shareta Brown raised her nation leading scoring average to 26.2 ppg., with 28 points her last time out against Madonna.

With her 13-of-15 effort from the field, Brown now also leads the nation in field-goal percentage hitting on 64.0%.

The only Titan to ever lead the nation in a statistical category was Brigid Mulroy back in 2010 as she was first in three-point field-goal percentage (50.5%).

NON-CONFERENCE WINS
The Titans have seven non-conference victories so far, the most since they had eight during the 2000-01 campaign.

The seven wins are also a complete turnaround from last season's 1-8 start in non-conference play, although UDM did win its final three in the regular season, which jump started a streak of 19 wins in 23 games.

#WHAT CAN BROWN DO 4 YOU
Sophomore Shareta Brown's offensive game has her among the nation's leaders as she is currently leading the country in scoring at 26.2 points per game.

Brown just broke the Titan school record with 43 points in a game against Lourdes on Dec. 10, and added her fourth 30-point game of the season -and the sixth of her career - with 34 points at IPFW on Dec. 18. Her six 30-point games are tied with Cassandra Pack (1983-87) for the most in school history.

Her 43-point outburst is tied with IPFW's Amanda Hyde for the highest in Division I.

In fact, with her 35 at home against Western Michigan and 34 at Eastern Michigan and at IPFW this season, she now has four of the top 20 scoring efforts in NCAA Division I this year.

No other player in Division I has more than one game with 34 or more points on the year.

COUNTDOWN TO 1000
Senior Yar Shayok comes into the game just four points shy of 1,000. 

Shayok is currently 17th in school history with 996 points, and is chasing Mary Lillie (1978-82) and Katie Solner (2002-06) for 16th (1033) and 15th (1038) place, respectively, in the Titan record book.

The fifth-year senior – who redshirted after playing just two games as a freshman due to a foot injury – is averaging 8.3 points this season and 9.1 points per game in her career.

She tallied 7.2 ppg, last season and had her best year to date as a redshirt freshman recording 11.8 ppg.

88 IN THREE STRAIGHT
With its' 90 points scored against Madonna, UDM has now reached at least 88 points in three-straight game (101 vs. Lourdes, 88 at IPFW), the first time the Titans have accomplished that feat since 1987 when it had eight-straight games of 88 or more points.

GETTING TO 70
The Titans are 32-6 when they score 70 or more points - and 10-1 when they score 80 or more - under head coach Autumn Rademacher.

DOMINATING THE BOARDS
Detroit has outrebounded its opponents in all 11 games - including six times by double digits - and currently owns a + 10.1 rebounding margin, good for first in the Horizon League and 20th in the nation.

UDM dominated the boards against #6/7 Penn State with a 46-31 advantage. UDM also completely owned the boards versus Canisius (44-28), WMU (49-36), at Ohio (48-37), against Lourdes (42-25), and versus Madonna (48-26).

Last season, Detroit won the battle of the boards in 23 of its 34 games, including 11 times by a double-digit margin.

WINNING BY NUMBERS
Six of the Titans' seven wins on the season have been by double digits as they lead the Horizon League with a + 15.5 scoring margin.

After thumping Madonna, 90-43, its last time out, Detroit has now posted three-straight 30-point victories for the first time since 1997.

In that year, Detroit defeated Wight State 99-60 and then bounced the Raiders (86-47) and Milwaukee (98-63) in the HL Tournament.

In fact, UDM's 51-point win (101-50) over Lourdes on Dec. 10 was the biggest margin of victory since the Titans rolled past Wayne State by 70, 115-45, on Jan. 2, 1986, which is still the school record for the largest margin of victory.

SENIOR PRIDE
After coming off the bench for most of last season - and making the most of it by earning the HL Sixth Player of the Year - senior Yar Shayok has transitioned back to the starting line-up in great form.

She is currently first on the team and third in the Horizon League in rebounding (10.4), which includes six double-digit efforts.

She grabbed a season-high 15 against Lourdes and also had 10 rebounds against #6/7 Penn State.

The 13 caroms her last time out against Madonna marked the 43rd time in her career that she has pulled down at least 10 boards in a game.

ROSIE THE PLAYMAKER
Freshman Rosanna Reynolds has taken over the point guard duties for Detroit and leads the team with 40 assists, with her 3.6 apg., ranking sixth in the Horizon League.

She is also fourth in the HL with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, and never really comes off the court averaging 36.4 minutes per game, third in the Horizon League.

Reynolds has six, four-assist games already with a season high of six against #6/7 Penn State and against Madonna. She also just collected her first career double-double with a career-best 17 points and 10 rebounds versus the Crusaders.

In terms of scoring, Reynolds has six double-digit efforts on the year, and is fourth on the squad in scoring at 9.5 ppg.

OFFENSE WINS GAMES, DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Not to be lost in the recent offensive games Detroit has posted has been the play of the Titan defense.

UDM has held an opponent to under 60 points in eight of its' 11 games, with the only two teams to score more in regulation a pair of Big Ten programs in Michigan (70) and Penn State (80), while Ball State had 73 in overtime, but just 57 in the first 40 minutes of action.

The Titans have also forced opponents to shoot under 40% nine times, including three dominant defensive efforts.

Detroit held the Broncos to just 27.5% shooting as WMU was 19-of-69 from the field and 3-of-14 from behind the arc, and forced 19 turnovers - 15 in the first half.

Against Lourdes, the Titans held the Gray Wolves to 17-of-56 from the field and forced a season-high 22 turnovers, while versus Madonna, UDM saw the Crusaders shoot just 27.9% hitting just 17-of-61 shots.

GETTING TO THE LINE
Detroit is third in the Horizon League with 230 free throw attempts and is tied for second in the HL converting on 148 (64.3%).

UDM has gone to the line at least 20 times in seven of its' 11 games, making a season-high 21 against Lourdes, the most since the Titans hit 29-of-35 at Green Bay in last year's win over the nationally-ranked Phoenix.

Meanwhile, sophomore Shareta Brown leads the HL with 118 trips to the charity stripes and has made 76 - second in the league - with her 64.4% ranking 14th.

MCCALISTER MAKEING THE MOST OUT OF HER TIME
Freshman Tayelor McCalister has played well recently averaging 7.6 points in her last three games, with a season-high 10 her last time out against Madonna. She also had seven at IPFW and six versus Lourdes.

She is 11-for-14 (78.5%) from the field in the last three games and 12-of-16 (75.5%) on the year.

LENDING A HAND
While scoring 101 points against Lourdes, Detroit racked up another season high with 26 assists against the Gray Wolves.

It is the most assists by the Titans since they posted 27 in a 93-56 win over Wright State on Jan. 29, 1998.

Detroit is currently second in the Horizon League with 15.5 assists per game, and has totaled 14 or more assists in eight of its 11 games on the year.

MAKE IT THRICE SHARETA HONORED AGAIN
After raising her nation leading scoring average to 26.2 points per game with a pair of huge scoring efforts last week, sophomore Shareta Brown was named the Horizon League Player of the Week for the third time this year, announced the conference office on Dec. 24.

Brown was unstoppable in averaging 31.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals, while shooting 73.3% from the field in the two Titan wins as Detroit won both games by an average of 38.5 points.

She started the week with 34 points and nine boards, going 9-of-15 from the field and 15-of-20 from the free throw line in UDM's 88-58 road victory over IPFW. It was the fourth time this season she has scored 34 or more points in a game and the sixth time in her career she has notched at least 30, tying a school record.

She wasn't done as she then tallied 28 points hitting 13-of-15 shots with five assists and a career-best four steals in just 25 minutes of action in the red, white and blue's 90-43 thrashing of Madonna.

The award marks the seventh time in her young career that she has won the weekly accolade as the 2012 First Team All-Horizon League selection is nearly at 1,000 points already with 899 in just 45 career games.

DEZZY STARTING TO COME AROUND
Freshman Destiny Lavita-Stephens missed her first nine shots on the season and was 1-of-11 after five games until finding her stroke against Western Michigan going 4-of-9 netting 10 points.

In her last six games, she is 12-of-32 (37.5%) from the field and has made 4 of her last 8 from three in the last two games, finishing with 10 against Madonna, six at IPFW and seven versus Lourdes.