GAMEDAY CENTRAL         Game Notes

DETROIT (3/6/2013) -- The final stretch drive for positioning in the Horizon League Championship is upon us as the Titans look to close out a fantastic home campaign when they square off against the Youngstown State Penguins on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:02 p.m.

Like all home and conference games this year, the contest will be streamed live on the Horizon League Network with Dan York calling the action. There will also be live stats. 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 Titans (15-11, 8-6 HL) already know they will host a home game in the Horizon League Championship Quarterfinals next Wednesday, Mar. 13, as they are assured a top-four finish in the conference. UDM can still move up to No. 3 with two wins and two losses by Loyola or by both Jesuit schools tying at 10-6 or at 9-7 with the right tiebreakers falling in place.

Detroit will look to end a great home regular season with its 11th win on Dick Vitale Court, the second-straight season that they would have won 11 at home and tied for the third most in school history. UDM was a perfect 13-0 in 1986-87 and was 12-1 in 1980-81, 12-2 during 1978-79 and 12-0 in its first year as an established program from 1977-78. 

Youngstown State has completely revamped its program after a 0-30 season a few years ago. The Penguins clinched a top-three finish in the Horizon League and come into the game at 21-7, 11-4 in league play. YSU has won three in a row – all at home – including a 72-50 triumph against Valparaiso on Monday.

Senior Brandi Brown leads the team and the Horizon League in rebounding at 11.6 rpg., and is second in the conference with 21.1 ppg.  She has 20 double-doubles and three 30-point games on the season, including a career-high 42 points with 21 rebounds last week against Wright State.

Heidi Schlegel is the second leading scorer at 9.9 ppg., but she has missed the last four games with an injury, while Shar'Rae Davis is tallying 9.0 ppg., and tops the HL with 4.5 apg.

Youngstown State is seventh in scoring offense at 65.1, while ranking second in the league in defense giving up just 57.1 per game.

Detroit will close out the regular season on Saturday as UDM hits the road for Valparaiso. Due to the Crusaders hosting the HL men's basketball semifinals this weekend, Saturday's game was moved up to 1:05 p.m. (ET).

THE UDM-YSU SERIES
Detroit has won seven of the last nine meetings against Youngstown State, but the Penguins have won two of the last three, including 58-53 in Youngstown a few weeks ago. Prior to the Titans seven out of nine streak, YSU had won five in a row.

UDM is 12-3 all-time at home in the series with four-straight wins in the Motor City. The last Penguins' victory on Dick Vitale Court came in 2008.

FINAL WEEK HAS SEEDINGS UP IN THE AIR
Detroit is currently fourth in the Horizon League at 8-6, a game behind Loyola (9-5) for the No. 3 seed. Youngstown Statehas already clinched a top-three finish.

Detroit is still in a battle with Loyola to finish as high as No. 3, but it already knows that it can't fall lower than a four seed and will host a Horizon League Championship Quarterfinals game on Mar. 13.

The easiest scenario that could happen for the Titans to get the No. 3 seed is with two wins and two losses by Loyola. A loss to Youngstown State would ensure that the Titans finish fourth.

If Detroit and Loyola end up tied at 10-6 and the Ramblers one win is against Green Bay, then they will get the No. 3 seed, but if their one win is against UIC, it will all depend on who finishes fifth, sixth or even seventh in the standings to determine the tiebreak between the two Jesuit schools.

With three teams with 10 losses, one with 11 and one with nine, anything can still happen in the final week that could affect the seeding from 3 to 9.  An example would be Milwaukee, who currently sits eighth in the conference, but with two wins and a UIC loss, can rise all the way to fifth.

COULD WE HAVE BACK-TO-BACK WINNING SEASONS?
Detroit is 15-11 on the year and can clinch its second straight winning season with just one more victory.

The Titans posted their first 20-win season since 1997 last year and a win would give them back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2001 (17-12) and 2002 (16-14). 

Under Coach Rademacher, UDM has had two winning seasons in the last three years after having just one in its previous seven.

OFFENSE WINS GAMES, DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Detroit is currently third in the Horizon League allowing 64.3 ppg., and second holding opponents to just 38.5% shooting.

UDM is coming off a game in which it allowed a season-low 40 points, 22.8% shooting and 13 field goals against Milwaukee.

The 40 point allowed was the fewest to a Division I squad since the Titans defeated Loyola, 49-34, back in 2005. In 2010, Detroit crushed NAIA-member Marygrove, 68-27.

The 13 field goals and 22.8% were also the lowest since holding Cleveland State to 23.6% (13-of-55) in a 79-43 victory in last year's HL Quarterfinals.

EVERYDAY SHOULD BE SENIOR DAY
Senior Yar Shayok had one of the best senior days in Titan history as she tallied a season-high 23 points and tied her career best with 17 field goals against Milwaukee. She was also a career-best 11-of-15 shooting and at the half alone had 17 points and nine boards.

The performance was her 30th career double-double and her third career 20-point game, including her second this season.

CAN SHE KEEP IT AT 20?
Sophomore Shareta Brown is currently averaging 20.5 points per game and if she were to finish averaging in the 20's, she would be just the second Titan to ever accomplish that feat.

Right now, Cassandra Pack is the only player in school history to average 20 in a year as she tallied 22.2 ppg., in 1986-87.

DOMINATING THE BOARDS
The Titans absolutely owned the glass against Milwaukee their last time out, winning the battle of the boards by an unprecedented +25 margin, 51-26.

It was the biggest margin in rebounds by UDM since a +25, 56-31, effort against Bowling Green last season.

Detroit has outrebounded its opponents in 20 of its 26 games - including nine times by double digits - and currently owns a +6.3 rebounding margin, good for first in the Horizon League and 33rd in the nation.

Some other games in which UDM dominated the boards included a game against #6/7 Penn State (46-31), versus Canisius (44-28), WMU (49-36), Lourdes (42-25), and 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.

BROWN TOP 10 IN THE NATION
In the latest NCAA stats, released on Monday, sophomore Shareta Brown continues to be among the nation's leaders in scoring and field-goal percentage.

Brown is currently fifth in field-goal percentage hitting 57.5%. She is also 14th in the nation in scoring at 20.5 ppg.

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%).

Brown was fifth in the NCAA in field-goal percentage (55.9%) last season.

OTHER NATIONAL RANKINGS
UDM has two players among the top 80 in rebounding as sophomore Shareta Brown is 75th with 9.2 per night, while senior Yar Shayok is 77th pulling down 9.1 per game.

Also, freshman Rosanna Reynolds is 55th with a 1.79 assist-to-turnover ratio and 98th handing out 4.2 assists per game.

As a team, Detroit is 15th in the country in field-goal percentage (44.7%), 27th in scoring (71.2), 25th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.07), 33rd in rebounding margin (+6.3), 52nd in assists (15.1) and 79h in scoring margin (+6.8). 

The Titans are also top 100 in turnovers per game (39th – 14.2) and 69th in three-point field goals per game (6.0).

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END
Detroit saw its 15-game home winning streak snapped against nationally-ranked Green Bay last Thursday.

At the time, it was tied for the seventh longest in the nation and was the second longest home winning streak in Titan history, two away from the record.

A RUDE HOST
UDM is now 10-1 at home this season - averaging 79.2 ppg. The Titans just lost their first home game against Green Bay, stopping UDM's 15-home game winning streak.

A win by the Titans would give them their second-straight 11-win season on Dick Vitale Court, tied for the third most wins at home in school history behind three 12-win seasons and the perfect 13-0 mark during 1986-87.

MORE ON CALIHAN MAGIC
Over a longer stretch of time, the Titans have posted a 22-4 ledger in their last 26 home games dating back to the 2010-11 campaign, as well as 37-12 in their last 49 home games.

UDM is also 45-23 in Calihan Hall since head coach Autumn Rademacher returned to her alma mater in 2008.

In their 35-year history, the Titans have enjoyed a 273-144 (.634) home court record.

SHEARER NOW TOP 8 IN 3'S
Junior Senee Shearer has now recorded 118 career triples after sinking a pair against Milwaukee.

The 118 career 3-pointers is eighth in school history, 16 away from seventh place and Jeanie Hill's (1994-98) 134.

ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR YAR
Senior Yar Shayok has collected 1,089 rebounds in her career, a number that ranks fourth in Horizon League history.

Below is a list of the top five players in rebounding in HL history.
1. Christy Greis, Evansville (1989-93) - 1,286
2. Traci Edwards, Milwaukee (2005-09) - 1,193
3. Brandi Brown, Youngstown State - 1,199
4. Yar Shayok, Detroit - 1,089
5. Shalonda Winton, Cleveland State - 1,055

#WHAT CAN BROWN DO 4 YOU
Sophomore Shareta Brown's offensive game has her among the nation's leaders as she is currently 14th in the country in scoring (20.5) and sixth in field-goal percentage (57.5%).

Brown 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 in a career.

INSTANT OFFENSE
Since coming off the bench against Cleveland State on Jan. 12, senior Yar Shayok has been an offensive weapon with double-digit performances in 9-of-13 games, five double-doubles, a season-high 23 points and 17 rebounds against Milwaukee and a 22-point outing against Cleveland State.

She started her surge at Cleveland State with 15 points and 10 rebounds and came back at Wright State with 12 points, 11 boards and four assists. She also tallied18 points and 13 caroms against Wright State and had 13 points with 11 boards at Loyola.

Her 22-point effort against the Vikings saw her shoot 10-of-14 from the field with nine rebounds, four assists and four steals, while her career night against the Panthers included an 11-of-15 shooting performance.

In the last 13 games, she is averaging 11.2 ppg., 8.4 rpg.,  and shooting 53.8% (64-of-119).

CHASING HISTORY, AND EACH OTHER
Senior Yar Shayok and sophomore Shareta Brown are both 1,000 point scorers that rank in the top 16 in school history.

Brown had passed Shayok, but with a season-high 23 points her last time out, Shayok jumped ahead to 14th place in school history with 1,150 points, passing Lindsay Pasquinzo (2002-06) along the way (1,143).

Brown also passed Pasquinzo and now sits in 15th place with 1,145 points

Next up on the list for the duo to pass is Mandy Chandler's (1987-91) 1,181 points.

WINNING BY NUMBERS
Ten of the Titans' 15 wins on the season have been by double digits as they are third in the HL with a + 6.8 scoring margin.

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.