Gameday Central
Game notes vs. Western Michigan
 
DETROIT (12/19/2014) -- Looking to continue a hot streak that has seen the Titans win four of their last five, the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team will host Western Michigan on Saturday in historic Calihan Hall. The game will be televised locally on Comcast 900 as well as streamed nationally on ESPN3.
 
Game time is slated for Noon on Dick Vitale Court, but prior to tip, the Titans will retire No. 44 in honor of former standout and All-American Cheryl Williams. It will also be Alumni Day as Detroit pays tribute to its former players in a halftime ceremony.
 
Fans can follow every Detroit 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 Gameday Central page also carries all the information on each opponent from who is leading the all-time series to who won the last game.
 
Williams was a four-year starter for the Titans from 1978-82 and ranks first in rebounding (1,368/11.3 rpg.), blocks (288/2.38 bpg.), steals (441/3.6 spg.) and total field goals (859) and second in career points (1,991/16.5 ppg.). She earned All-State, All-Region, All-American accolades in her four years and was twice a Wade Trophy nominee. She also led the Titans to a national ranking in the AP Poll and three-straight State Large College Tournaments, with the program receiving a bid to the 1980 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Tournament, the precursor for the NCAA Tournament.
 
Detroit is now 5-5 on the year after starting the season 1-4. On Thursday, the Titans used a first-half run to take a double-digit lead and never looked back in posting a 74-52 triumph over Delaware State. The defense was the catalyst again as UDM held its counterpart to under 60 for the third time this season and now stands second in the Horizon League in three-point field-goal defense (.278) and fourth in the Horizon League in field-goal percentage defense (.362), allowing just 62.6 points per game.
 
Western Michigan ended a two-game slide with an 81-45 victory over Trine on Thursday and comes into the game at 5-3. WMU has played one common opponent with Detroit falling at Michigan, 74-47. The Broncos also dropped a 70-55 road contest at Horizon League-rival Green Bay.
 
Tickets for the women's games are $6 for adults and $4 for children and seniors (ages 60 or better/13 & below). Discounted rates are available for groups of 10 or more. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the online Titan Ticket Office or contact the Ticket office at (313) 993-1700. The Titans' Ticket Office is located in Calihan Hall and is open Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
DETROIT VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN
This will be the 29th career meeting between Detroit and Western Michigan in a rivalry that started back in 1979.
 
Western Michigan won last year's game, 103-86, which broke a three-game winning streak UDM had in the series.
 
Detroit is 9-5 at home in the series, which includes two wins during head coach Autumn Rademacher's tenure in 2010 (66-53) and 2012 (97-57).
 
ABOUT THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan won four of its first five games, but has dropped two of its last three. WMU is coming off an 81-45 triumph over Trine on Thursday.
 
Miracle Woods leads the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game and has pulled down 4.3 rebounds per contest. Jessica Jessing is tallying 10.6 ppg., and 4.0 rpg., while A.J. Johnson is averaging 8.3 ppg., and 2.8 apg. Michelle O'Brien tops the team on the boards at 7.6 per game.
 
WMU is averaging 63.6 points and giving up 57.5 under third-year head coach Shane Clipfell.
 
RECORD-SETTING WIN NO. 94 FOR COACH RAD
Head coach Autumn Rademacher accomplished something that many coaches don't even get a chance to attempt as she became the all-time wins leader at her alma mater with victory No. 94 on Dec. 18 against Delaware State.
 
UDM used an early run in dominating the Hornets, 74-52, for the record-breaking win, surpassing her coach in college Fred Procter (1990-96).
 
Coach Rademacher did it inside Calihan Hall where as a player, she scored over 1,600 points and helped lead the Titans to their only NCAA bid as a senior in 1997.

Her first coaching win was also on the very same floor as she guided UDM to a 70-66 upset victory over No. 23 Georgia on Nov. 22, 2008.
 
It is not like Coach Rademacher took over a top of the line program as Detroit was coming off back-to-back last-place finishes and just 11 total wins from 2006-08.
 
In her first six years, Detroit has recorded three winning seasons, a pair of 20-win campaigns, five years with a conference tournament victory, a trip to the WNIT in 2012 - the first postseason action for UDM since 1997 - and the school's first postseason title since 1981 when the Titans won the WBI in 2013. 
 
AGAINST THE MAC
This is the third of four games this season that will see Detroit take on a team from the Mid-American Conference as UDM is 75-67 all-time against current teams from the MAC. Since head coach Autumn Rademacher took over the reins as the Titan leader in 2008, UDM is 11-12 against the league.
 
So far on the year versus the MAC, Detroit has dropped a tough road contest at Ohio, 60-57, before defeating Toledo on the road, 83-72.
 
BOMBS AWAYS IN RECORD FASHION
The Titans connected on 15, 3-pointers at Toledo on Dec. 14, breaking the school mark of 13 at Butler on Jan. 30, 1999.
 
UDM finished the game 15-for-32 from behind the arc, including 12-of-21 in the first half alone.
 
It was the third time this season that Detroit has made 10 or more threes in a contest (11 at IPFW, 10 vs. Madonna), while the 32 three-point attempts were a season high and just one away from the school record of 33 UDM had against Ball State last season.
 
The Titans made just 33 shots from behind the arc in their first five games, but Detroit has turned that around with 43 in its last five.
 
BIG TIME DEFENSE
The Titans have played some tough defense to start the 2014-15 season, holding teams to just 62.7 points per game, down from last season's 80.5 ppg.
 
UDM has held four opponents to 60 or less on the season and twice to under 50. Detroit is currently second in the Horizon League in three-point field-goal defense (.278) and fourth in the Horizon League in field-goal percentage defense (.362)
 
Detroit had one of its best defensive games in school history in defeating Marygrove, 88-46, in the home opener on Nov. 16.
 
The 46 points allowed were the fewest since Detroit downed Youngstown State at home, 62-48, during the 2012-13 campaign.
 
The 25.0% (16-of-64) shooting by Marygrove was the lowest UDM has held a team since Milwaukee's 22.8% on Mar. 2, 2013.
 
Detroit held IPFW to just 29.7% shooting, including 28.5% (12-of-42) in the second half and overtime and 16.7% (2-of-12) in the extra session alone, while limiting Madonna to 29.4% (15-of-51). The 15 made field goals by Madonna were the fewest by an opponent since Youngstown State had just 15 in that 62-48 win.
 
Against Toledo, the Titans held an offensive Rockets team to 32.5% (26-of-80) overall and 27.5% (11-of-40) from three, while Delaware State shot just 37.7 percent (21-of-56) and 1-of-15 from distance.  
 
A TRIPLE THREAT
Redshirt sophomore Rosanna Reynolds has become one of the deadliest long-range shooters in the Horizon League.
 
She is currently first in the HL in three-point field goals per game (3.2) and third in three-point field goal percentage (48.5%), while standing eighth and 20th, respectively, in the nation in those two categories.
 
Reynolds is also coming off back-to-back 20+ point performances with a game-high 22 points against Delaware State and a 26-point effort at Toledo, where she tied her season and career high with seven 3-pointers, one away from the school record of eight that Daphne Smith (8-of-11) had versus Butler on Jan. 10, 1987. She also had seven treys in a 33-point outburst at IPFW on Dec. 2.
 
She now has 32, 3-pointers on the year, a new career high passing the 25 she had as a freshman in 34 games in 2012-13.
 
In fact, 32 of her 54 total field goals on the year are from three as she is 22-of-63 (34,9%) inside the arc on the season.
 
ROSIE THE SCORER
Redshirt sophomore Rosanna Reynolds posted her eighth double-digit scoring effort on the year with 22 points against Delaware State.
 
It was the second-straight game and the third time in her last five contests that she has netted 20 or more.
 
She had 26 points at Toledo last Sunday and a career-high 33 at IPFW on Dec. 2. She became just the 18th Titan in school history to score 30 or more in a game, with the 33 points the most since teammate Ellisha Crosby had 33 against EMU last season.

In fact, the only two games she has not been in double figures were nine-point outings against Madonna and Southeast Missouri.
 
On the year, she is currently fourth in the Horizon League with 16.3 ppg.
 
GETTING TO 70
The Titans are 54-19 when they score 70 or more points as well as 20-5 when they score 80 or more under head coach Autumn Rademacher. UDM has also eclipsed 90 seven times under Coach Rad, with a season-high 96 against Eastern Michigan last year.
 
ALL-AROUND GAME
Sophomore Haleigh Ristovski continues to show her full basketball skills this season on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor.
 
She might not be the typical frontcourt player, but she has grabbed at least eight rebounds in eight of UDM's 10 games, including four of the last five with 10 or more. She also has a team-high three double-doubles on the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds at Toledo, 13 points and 11 rebounds at IPFW and a career-best 20 points and 12 boards against Madonna.
 
Her game against Madonna also saw her post nearly a triple-double as she handed out a career-high six assists.
 
She has recorded at least five assists five times this year and is leading the team and is fifth in the Horizon League at 3.9 per game.
 
On the season, she is fourth on the team and 23rd in the HL in scoring at 9.2 ppg., as well as leading the team and ranking fifth in the conference in rebounding at 8.6 per contest.
 
GOOD DECISIONS
Redshirt sophomore Rosanna Reynolds and sophomore Haleigh Ristovski are both among the most trustworthy ball handlers in the Horizon League.
 
Ristovski is currently leading the HL - and 66th in the nation - with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio (39 A, 18 TO). As a freshman, Ristovski recorded a 2.7 mark (47 A, 17 TO) last season.
 
Meanwhile, Reynolds has 26 assists and just 15 turnovers on the year (1.7), and came into this game just two assists shy of qualifying for fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
LITTLE D BRINGS BIG O
Freshman Darianne Seward might have been making her first collegiate start in her first career game at Michigan, but you would never know by the way the rookie played.
 
The 5-4 guard from Ohio ended the day with a game-high 19 points - 17 in the first half - along with three rebounds and three assists.
 
The 19 points in a collegiate debut was the most by a Titan true freshman since the 2011-12 season and the most by a Titan true freshman guard since Titan Hall-Of-Famer and the school's all-time leading scorer Cassandra Pack netted 23 at home against Bowling Green to open the 1983-84 campaign.
 
Seward has continued to be a force on offense recording her seventh game in double figures with 16 against Delaware State.
 
She is currently second on the team in scoring and 12th in the Horizon League at 12.0 ppg.
 
Seward is also eighth in the HL in free throw percentage (74.4%) connecting on 32-of-43, the sixth most free throws and attempts among conference peers.
 
ELLICIOUS
Senior Ellisha Crosby has found her offensive rhythm with her fourth-straight game - and sixth on the year - in double figures as she tallied 12 in just 16 minutes versus Delaware State. She also handed out a career-high six assists in that contest.
 
Against Toledo last Sunday, she posted 24 points for her fourth career 20+ point effort. She also now has 18 double-digit scoring games in her 22 career Division I contests. 
 
She was tabbed the Glass City Classic Tournament MVP after tallying 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shooting 46.7 percent from the field in the two games against Southeast Missouri and Toledo.
 
Crosby started the weekend event with her first double-double of the year and the sixth of her career with 13 points and a season-high 10 rebounds against the Redhawks.
 
In her Titan career, Crosby is tallying 14.6 ppg., including 11.5 ppg., this year.
 
NO "MINNIE ME" HERE
Sophomore Minisha Frederick-Childress might stand just 5-4, but she can crash the boards witnessed by her three game this season with seven rebounds; including back-to-back against Southeast Missouri and at Toledo last weekend at the Glass City Classic. She also had seven caroms at IPFW.
 
In the close setback to Southeast Missouri, she also recorded a season-best five assists, the most since her career high of seven at Oakland last year.
 
The seven boards are just two away from her career high of nine set against Milwaukee as a freshman.
 
Last season, she played in 25 games with 13 starts and averaged 5.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, while scoring in double digits six times, all in the last 11 games of the season.
 
She had a season-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while also collecting a season-best five steals, at UIC and had 10 points, four rebounds and seven assists at Oakland.
 
CROSBY HONORED
Two wins and a tournament MVP wasn't enough praise for the performances Ellisha Crosby put up last week as the senior was named the Horizon League Player of the Week by the conference office this past Monday.
 
It was the second-straight week that a Titan won the award with redshirt sophomore Rosanna Reynolds taking the accolade last week. It is also the first time in Crosby's career that she was honored by the HL.
 
Crosby averaged 15.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in Detroit's three games, which included double-digit victories over Madonna (76-47) and at Toledo (83-72). She scored in double figures in all three games, shot over 45.0 percent and tallied her first double-double of the season.
 
At the Glass City Classic in Toledo, she posted a team-high 13 points and a season-best 10 rebounds with four assists against Southeast Missouri and then followed that up with a season-high 24 points (5-7 3FG) and eight rebounds versus the Rockets to earn tournament MVP.
 
MY 5
After using 19 different starting line-ups last year - in 30 games - due to injuries, the Titans have used the same starting five in all 10 games to start the year.
 
2 FOR 20
The Titans had two players net 20 or more points in a game in the victory at Toledo as redshirt sophomore Rosanna Reynolds had 26 points, and senior Ellisha Crosby finished with a season-best 24.
 
It was the first time this season Detroit had two players score 20 or more in a game and the first time since Senee Shearer (23) and Megan Galloway (21) did it against Green Bay last season.
 
WINNING STAT?
Detroit is 4-0 on the year when sophomore Haleigh Ristovski scores in double figures.
 
HELPING OUR CAUSE
With a strong group of guards, you would expect that Detroit would be able to take care of the ball and create a lot of assists, and the Titans have done just that.
 
Detroit is fourth in the Horizon League in assists at 15.0 per game as well as fourth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1). The red, white and blue is one of just five teams in the league to have more assists than turnovers on the year and has committed a season-low nine turnovers in two of the past five games.
 
The Titans also finished with 22 assists against Marygrove in their home opener on Nov. 16 and just had 19 against Delaware State their last time out.
 
URBANICK FINDING HER STROKE
Freshman Nicole Urbanick netted a season-high 12 points against Madonna. It was the third time this season she has been in double figures with 10 against Marygrove and 11 versus St. Bonaventure.
 
On the season, she is averaging 6.4 points per game - fifth on the team.
 
IF ONE IS GOOD, TWO IS BETTER
Redshirt sophomore Rosanna Reynolds and sophomore Haleigh Ristovski each tallied a double-double in the overtime win at IPFW.
 
Reynolds ended the contest with a career-high 33 points and career-best 11 rebounds for her second career double-double (she had 17 points and 10 rebounds vs. Madonna in 2012).
 
Meanwhile, Ristovski scored a then season-high 13 points and grabbed a then career-high 11 caroms for her first career double-double.
Both players also added four assists.
 
DEPTH WORKING THE BOARDS
Freshman Brianna Cohen had a season-high seven points and eight rebounds against Madonna, while freshman Chea Taylor had six points and eight boards at IPFW
 
5 FOR 10
Detroit had five players in double figures against Madonna, the second time this season UDM has had five players score 10 or more points in a game.

Against Madonna, sophomore Haleigh Ristovski had a career-high 20, while redshirt sophomore Rosanna Reynolds and freshman Nicole Urbanick had 12 and senior Ellisha Crosby and freshman Darianne Seward netted 10 apiece.
 
GLASS WORK
UDM outrebounded Marygrove, 58-30, in its' home opener. The 58 rebounds were the most by the Titans since they grabbed 70 against Central Michigan on Feb. 9, 1980.
 
HALEIGH'S SUCH A CROOK
Sophomore Haleigh Ristovski came away with a career-high five steals in the season opener at Michigan, besting her previous high of three last year against Lawrence Tech.
 
MORE DEFENSE
UDM tied its season high with 10 steals and 20 forced turnovers in its win over Madonna.