Gameday Central
Game Notes vs. Valparaiso
Ticket Information

DETROIT (3/9/2014) -- The regular season is over and now the real fun begins as the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team hosts Valparaiso in the opening round of the Horizon League Championship on Monday. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., on Dick Vitale Court in historic Calihan Hall.

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 Game Day Central page also carries all the information on each opponent from who is leading the all-time series to who won the last game.

Detroit enters the championship as the No. 8 seed after finishing the regular season at 6-23, 3-13 in the Horizon League, with a roster that has seen its share of injuries and new faces emerge. UDM has seen 68 games missed by Titan players – including as many as three starters out at once – this year due to injuries and true freshmen have played 44.3% of Detroit's total minutes.

The Titans have played better in the second half of the Horizon League season with three victories as a number of young players have stepped up in sophomore Tayelor McCalister and freshmen Megan Galloway, Minisha Frederick-Childress and Haleigh Ristovski, with seniors Megan Hatter and Senee Shearer leading the way.

UDM split its two games with Valparaiso this season falling 85-44 on the road and posting an 81-79 come-from-behind win at home just two weeks ago. Shearer is averaging 16.5 points per game in the two games, while Galloway is tallying 13.0 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Valparaiso comes into the match-up at 5-24, 3-13 in HL play. The Crusaders are last in the league in scoring at 64.9 ppg., and seventh in scoring defense at 76.2. Valpo does lead the HL in field goal percentage (43.5%), but is last in rebounding at 33.5 per game.

Four players are in double figures in scoring for Valparaiso, led by Charae Richardson's 11.6 points and 3.6 assists – eighth in the league. Sharon Karungi is tallying 11.5 ppg., and a team-high 7.6 rpg., while Jessi Wiedemann is averaging 10.5 ppg.

A win by either team will set them up for Wednesday's quarterfinals game at top-seeded Green Bay at the Kress Events Center with tip-off slated for 8:00 p.m. (EST).

DETROIT VS. VALPARAISO
The Titans have dropped two of their last three against Valparaiso - both on the road - but Detroit still leads the all-time series, 12-7.

UDM is 7-3 versus the Crusaders at home following the come-from-behind 81-79 triumph just two weeks ago and has won the last six over Valpo in the Motor City.

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 five times (1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2012) with each loss in the championship game to the Phoenix.

ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD
The Titans are 24-22 all-time in the Horizon League postseason tournament, including a 1-1 record as the No. 8 seed.

The only other time Detroit was a No. 8 seed was in 2009 when the Titans defeated Loyola in the opening round, 72-67, before dropping a 60-46 decision at top-seeded Green Bay.

POSTSEASON IN CALIHAN HALL
Detroit is 6-1 all-time at home in the conference tournament and has won its last five conference tournament games in Calihan Hall.

The lone loss was to Wright State, 82-65, in 2000 as the Titans were the third seed and WSU the sixth.

UDM has now hosted a playoff game in each of Coach Rademacher's six years and has won at home in all five previous games.

IN THE OPENING ROUND
UDM is 3-0 all-time in the opening round game with wins over Loyola in 2007 and 2009 and a victory over Valparaiso (57-50) in 2011.

LOOKING TO GET BACK
Detroit made its sixth trip to the title game and first under Coach Rademacher in 2012.

TOURNAMENT RECORDS
Detroit has seen players net 20 or more points 16 times in the Horizon League Tournament, with the Titan record set at 31 by Heather Longar against Evansville in 1992.

UDM has recorded 12 or more rebounds eight times, with the school mark held by India Bruster with 19 at Green Bay in 2007.

UDM has also seen eight players collect a double-double in a conference tournament game.

MEETING THE CRUSADERS
This is just the second time that Detroit and Valparaiso will meet in the Horizon League Championship as the Titans hosted and defeated Valpo, 57-50, in one of the two opening round games back in 2011.

In that meeting, UDM was the No. 7 seed and Valparaiso was No. 10.

The Crusaders joined the Horizon League at the start of the 2008-09 campaign.

THE HISTORY OF #8
The Titans will look to become the first No. 8 seed to make it past the quarterfinals if they can get on a run and win the opening round game and upset No. 1 Green Bay on the road on Wednesday.

A PAIR OF HORIZON LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Senior Senee Shearer and freshman Megan Galloway both earned Horizon League Player of the Week honors by two different organizations last Monday as Shearer was tabbed by the HL and Galloway was selected by College Sports Madness.

Shearer led UDM with 19.0 points tallying a game-high 23 against Valparaiso and adding 15 against Youngstown State. The 23 versus the Crusaders was her 17th 20-point outing of the season as she was 8-of-13 from the field and 5-of-7 from behind the arc in the come-from-behind win.

Galloway's accolade by College Sports Madness marks the third-straight week that she won an award as the HL made her the Freshman of the Week the last two weeks. Galloway was again on a tear down low posting a pair of double-doubles and averaging 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds against Valpo and YSU.

She started the week by tying her career-high with 21 points with 10 rebounds in the victory over the Crusaders.

MAKING A PITCH FOR HL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
For the third-straight week Titan rookie Megan Galloway received a major honor as she was tabbed the College Sports Madness Horizon League Player of the Week last Monday.

The award followed two straight weeks of Galloway earning the HL Freshman Of The Week by the conference office.

Galloway was dominant in the middle in UDM's two wins over Valparaiso and Youngstown State, collecting a pair of double-doubles, while averaging 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. She tied her career high with 21 points against Valpo and added 15 points and 15 boards against a YSU team that was in the running for first place.
Galloway - who has won the HL Freshman of the Week three times this season - won her third HL accolade on Feb. 24 after posting 16 points and a season and game-high 17 rebounds against Wright State.

She was 7-of-17 from the field and even handed out a season-best five assists.

Galloway has now scored in double digits in five of her last seven games and seven total during Horizon League play. Galloway has also pulled down at least five rebounds in 12 of UDM's 16 conference games, including double digits on six occasions.

In her last eight games, she is averaging 13.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 50.6% from the field (45-of-89).

In HL action, she is tallying 9.5 ppg., and 7.6 rpg., on 49.2% shooting (65-of-132).

AND THE RECORD GOES TO.....
Senior Senee Shearer as she set the Titan record for most three pointers on Senior Day, hitting her first trey of the game against Youngstown State. Shearer now leads the Horizon League with 93 trifectas and 3.1 three-pointers per game and has 227 in her career.

Along her record breaking run, she passed head coach Autumn Rademacher as she had 201 in 568 attempts in 117 career games.

In her career, Shearer has attempted 1065 shots and 674 of them have been from behind the arc. That means 63.2% of her career looks have been from downtown.

Her 276 three-point attempts on the season is currently tied for third in the country, while her 93 triples is 12th.

TAY'S OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
She was held scoreless at Valparaiso on Jan. 23 but since that time, Titan sophomore Tayelor McCalister has been an offensive force with 10-straight games in double figures until her streak was snapped at Green Bay her last time out.

During the run, she posted a career-high 24 points – along with a career-best nine rebounds - against Horizon League leader Green Bay at home and had 22 points at UIC.

Below is a list of her double-digit streak
17 pts., 8 rebs., 2 ast. at Milwaukee
14 pts., 5 rebs., 5 ast. at Youngstown State
24 pts., 9 rebs., 4 ast. vs. Green Bay
12 pts., 4 rebs., 5 ast. vs. Milwaukee
19 pts., 5 rebs., 5 ast. at Oakland
16 pts., 2 rebs., 2 ast at Cleveland State
13 pts., 4 rebs., 5 ast. vs. Wright State
15 pts., 5 rebs., 2 ast. vs. Valparaiso
12 pts., 7 rebs., 2 ast. vs. Youngstown State
22 pts., 3 rebs., 6 ast. at UIC

In her last 11 games, McCalister is averaging 15.5 ppg., - second on the team – with 5.0 rpg., and 3.6 apg., and shooting 43.9% (68-of-155) from the field and 35-of-44 (79.5%) at the free throw line.

BALANCED OFFENSE
Detroit has had four or more players score in double figures in six of its last eight games and seven of the last 10.

In the last eight games, UDM is averaging 73.5 points, while on the year, Detroit is fourth in the Horizon League in scoring at 71.0 ppg.

SHEARER RISING
The UDM 1,000-point club added another member as Senee Shearer became the 19th player to reach the mark against UIC on Jan. 16.

Shearer now has 1,228 points and is just two shy of 13th place and former teammate Yar Shayok.

Below is a list of people ahead of her in scoring in Titan history.
11th - Regina Pierce - 1,287 - 1981-85
12th - Shari Hill - 1,255 - 1997-01
13th - Yar Shayok - 1,230 - 2008-13
14th - Senee Shearer - 1,228 - 2010-pre.

Shearer is currently third in the Horizon League - and 39th in the nation - at 19.5 points per game.

She has already scored a career-high 566 points this season in 29 games, more than the 367 she totaled in 33 games as a sophomore.

YOUTH SERVED
To say that Detroit is young this year is easily stated by the amount of minutes that the Titan freshmen have played compared to the rest of the Horizon League.

Coming into the game against Valparaiso, UDM true freshmen have played 2,485 of the 5,600 minutes on the court this season breaking down to 44.3%, the most in the Horizon League.

FRESHMEN STEPPING UP
Freshmen usually have their ups and downs, but in a season that has seen the Titans use five of their six freshmen, a few have contributed a lot of big games recently.

Haleigh Ristovski nailed five 3-pointers en route to 15 points at Youngstown State and then matched that against Milwaukee before setting a new career high with 19 at Cleveland State.

Megan Galloway has had four double-doubles in her last seven games - including three straight at one point - and tied her career high of 21 points twice and posted a career-best 17 rebounds and five assists against Wright State, while Reyna Montgomery tied her season high for the third time with 11 markers at Milwaukee and against Oakland.

Minisha Frederick-Childress was inserted into the starting line-up 11 games ago and has had a few career performances with a season-high 15 points and five steals at UIC, 14 points against the Raiders, 10 points and a season-high nine boards versus the Panthers and 10 points and a career-best seven assists at Oakland.

HAT'S OFF TO YOU
Senior Megan Hatter recently came back from a leg injury that saw her miss seven games and the veteran finally looked like she was back to playing shape tallying double figures in scoring in two of her last five games, including finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Wright State for her third double-double of the season.

She came back to have 10 points with four rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win over Valparaiso and had nine points with eight boards against Youngstown State.

With her 10 boards at Green Bay, she now has 17 games this season - and 37 in her career - with five or more rebounds and is second on the squad in rebounding at 6.4 rpg.

She also has 10 games in double figures in scoring and is third on the team at 9.7 ppg.

Hatter posted her first career double-double against Ball State on Nov. 23, and then tallied her second vs. Chicago State on Dec. 7 with 21 points and tying her career mark with 11 rebounds. Hatter was also a career-best 8-of-13 from the field.

Back on Nov. 30, she recorded a then career-high 17 points and tied her career mark with five assists in a win over Georgia Southern. In that contest, she was 5-of-8 from the field with three 3-pointers and was also a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line with seven boards.

Against Ball State, she posted her first double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and was actually scoreless with just two caroms in the first half of that game before erupting in the second period.

THE MAD HATTER
Senior Megan Hatter is the most experienced player on the Titan roster and her expertise goes back a little farther than her four years at UDM.

Prior to her freshman season, she saw her sister Heather play four years for the Titans, the last two under coach Autumn Rademacher.

Hatter has played in 109 games with 68 starts, and is the current active leading rebounder with 402 (3.7 rpg.), while tallying the second most points at 544 (5.0 ppg.)

She has already eclipsed her sister's numbers in games played (86), rebounds (247), points (395), and steals (37-30), although Heather still has her beat in blocks (32-22).

SHEARER NAMED TO 2014 NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD WATCH LIST
Senior Senee Shearer was named to the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The award recognizes the top point guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. Candidates exhibit the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills of Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman.

Shearer was joined by 28 other players on the initial watch list, which includes the likes of Odyssey Sims of Baylor, Bria Hartley of Connecticut, Duke's Chelsea Gray, Amber Orrange of Stanford and Tennessee's Ariel Massengale. She is also the only player from the Horizon League as well as from a school in Michigan on the list.

AMONG THE NATION'S LEADERS
Senee Shearer is currently 12th in the nation with 3.15 three-point field goals per game.

She is also 47th in the country averaging 19.5 ppg., and 59th with 566 total points.

If she were to finish the season averaging 20 or more points, she would be just the third Titan to average 20 in a game in a season behind Cassandra Pack's 22.2 in 1986-87 and Shareta Brown's 21.0 last season.

FREDERICK-CHILDRESS HONORED
After nearly posting a double-double and helping the Titans win their first conference game, freshman Minisha Frederick-Childress was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week on Feb. 10.

Frederick-Childress tallied 10 points, a career-high nine rebounds and four assists as UDM upended Milwaukee, 80-68, for its first HL win of the season last Saturday.

Originally from Flint, Frederick-Childress was inserted into the starting line-up 11 games ago and is averaging 9.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in that span with a career highs of 15 points and five steals at UIC, nine boards at Youngstown State and seven assists at Oakland.

A GALLOWAY-IN EFFORT
Freshman Megan Galloway has rebounded nicely from an ankle injury earlier in the year.

Galloway has now been named the HL Freshman Of The Week three times this season and the College Sports Madness HL Player of the Week once.

She has collected five double-doubles, eight double figure scoring games and six contests with 10 or more rebounds.

She is currently leading all Horizon League freshmen in rebounding at 6.4 per game - 14th overall in the conference - and is now fourth on the Titans in scoring at 7.9 ppg.

Her double-doubles have come with 16 points and 15 boards against Youngstown State, tying her career high with 21 points and 10 rebounds against Valparaiso, 16 points and a career-best 17 rebounds against Wright State, 21 points with 10 boards at Oakland and 13 points with 10 rebounds at home versus Cleveland State.

At the FAU Thanksgiving Classic, she tallied 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, while shooting 9-of-14 (64.3%) from the field in netting 16 points with seven rebounds against Georgia Southern and seven points and six rebounds with two assists versus Rhode Island, earning her first HL Freshman of the Week accolade.

ALL GAME FOR RISTOVSKI
Freshman Haleigh Ristovski is showing her all-around talent as she gets more comfortable in the collegiate game. With her 10 markers at Green Bay, she now has scored in double figures in five of her last 10 games and six of her last 13.

She had a career game with a season and game-high 19 points at Cleveland State, where she was 8-of-10 from the field with eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.

At Youngstown State, the rookie connected on five 3-pointers en route to 15 points. Ristovski came into the game just 5-of-24 from three, but ended the contest 5-of-8, while adding five rebounds and two blocks.

Against Milwaukee, she tallied 15 points, while adding seven rebounds.

In her last 11 games, Ristovski is averaging 9.1 ppg., and 4.6 rpg., and is shooting 50.0% (38-of-76) from the field and 16-of-42 (38.1%) from behind the arc.

PROTECTING THE BALL
Titan rookie Haleigh Ristovski is doing a good job of protecting the ball, something that a lot of rookies have trouble with.

She currently has nearly a 2.75-1 (44-17) assist-to-turnover ratio on the year and is also hitting the glass at 4.1 rebounds per game, with a season-high 10 caroms at Wright State.

A REIGN OF OFFENSE
Freshman Reyna Montgomery just came back from an injury that saw her miss four-straight games to score seven points and tally two rebounds, two assists and two steals against Youngstown State.

She was just starting to find a zone offensively tallying two double-digit performances in her last nine games.

She had 11 points, while adding five rebounds, two steals and an assist at Milwaukee and that was after posting 11 points and tying her season high with eight boards against UIC.

In her last eight games that she has played, Montgomery is averaging 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds with nine steals.

ON THE DL
Sophomore Rosanna Reynolds will miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury early in the game at Western Michigan.

Reynolds was selected to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team last year after starting all 34 games and averaging a team-high 35.3 minutes per game, tallying 7.8 points – fifth on the team – along with 3.3 rebounds, and a team-high 4.0 assists per game (135).

Junior Ellisha Crosby has missed 17-straight games with a leg injury and is still day-to-day, while sophomore DaVonna Bradford has missed the last three games.

Freshman Reyna Montgomery just returned after missing four straight as well as an earlier game against UIC.

Other Titans that have missed games this season include five game apiece from sophomore Tayelor McCalister and freshman Minisha Frederick-Childress.

Freshman Megan Galloway missed the Eastern Michigan game and senior Megan Hatter just returned after missing seven-straight contests.

All told, the injured Titans have missed a total of 68 games on the season.

D-FENCE
Detroit forced 19 Milwaukee turnovers on Feb. 8, the most UDM has seen an opponent turn it over since IPFW had 21, a span of nine games.