Gameday Central | Game Notes (PDF)
DETROIT (12/1/2015) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team opened its four-game homestand with a victory this past Sunday and will look for more of the same Wednesday evening when the Titans host Cincinnati for a 7 p.m. contest on Dick Vitale Court at historic Calihan Hall. The game is set to be broadcast on ESPN3.com and Comcast XFINITY Channel 900.
The Titans (1-4) are coming off their first win of the season on Sunday afternoon as Detroit earned an 80-75 victory over Niagara. The victory was the first for head coach
Bernard Scott in his coaching career.
Detroit has two home contests this week, also hosting Salem International on Saturday in the first doubleheader of the year with the men's basketball team. The Titans host the Tigers at 12 p.m. in the first game of the doubleheader at Calihan Hall.
| Game 6 - Detroit (1-4) vs. Cincinnati (3-2) |
| Date | Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Detroit, Mich. | Calihan Hall | Tickets: $6 Adults/$4 Children/Students are FREE |
| Live Stats | DetroitTitans.com |
| Stream / TV | ESPN3.com / Watch ESPN & Comcast XFINITY Channel 900 |
| Social Media | Twitter (In-game tweets): @DetroitTitans | @Detroit_WBB | Facebook
Instagram | |
| All-Time Series | Detroit trails, 2-8 | Last Meeting: at Cincinnati 70, Detroit 38 on Dec. 23, 2014 |
Titans Finish Strong in Win Over NiagaraFour players scored 16 or more points and the Titans shot 50 percent or better in each half Sunday as Detroit earned an 80-75 victory over Niagara for head coach
Bernard Scott's first career victory.
Haleigh Ristovski led four players in double figures with a season-high 19 points.
Rosanna Reynolds scored eight of her 18 points in the fourth quarter and dished out seven assists.
Brianne Cohen tallied 17 points and a game-best nine rebounds off the bench for the Titans, while
Nicole Urbanick hit three triples and finished with 16 points and four assists.
Niagara and Detroit were tied at halftime, 36-36, and Detroit used an 11-0 third quarter run to help take a 62-56 advantage after three quarters. In a back-and-forth fourth quarter, Cohen's bucket gave Detroit a 73-72 lead with 2:37 remaining. The score remained unchanged until less than a minute left when
Brittney Jackson stole the ball on a Niagara possession and just seconds later hit a corner 3-pointer off a feed from Reynolds to put Detroit ahead, 76-72, with 37 seconds left. Detroit sank four free throws in the remaining seconds to clinch the win.
All-Time SeriesDetroit and Cincinnati and meeting for the 11th time with the Bearcats owning an 8-2 series lead. Cincinnati has won the last five match-ups, but Detroit earned the last victory in Detroit, taking a 70-61 contest on Dec. 17, 1990. UDM is 2-1 in home games against the Bearcats.
The Titans and Salem International are meeting for the first time in the regular season. Detroit opened last season against the Tigers in an exhibition contest, picking up an 85-61 triumph on Nov. 8, 2014.
Scouting CincinnatiThe Bearcats are 3-2 after dropping their last two games to Baylor (72-34) and Michigan State (103-63). Cincinnati has met one Horizon League team so far this season, beating Northern Kentucky by three points at home, 71-68. Wednesday's game against Detroit is its first true road game of the season.
Ana Owens leads in scoring at 14.2 points per game. She also leads in rebounds (4.8 rpg) and assists (18). Jasmine Whitfield (12.2 ppg) and Alyesha Lovett (10.8) also average in doubles. Cincinnati has been out-scored in every quarter but the fourth quarter (93-85) this year.
Rosie Nears 1,000Redshirt-junior guard
Rosanna Reynolds is nearing the 1,000-point plateau. She leads the Titans with 89 points this season and is 153 points away from the 1,000-point milestone for her Titan career. Reynolds surpassed the 800-point plateau mark during the Titans' game against No. 8-ranked Maryland.
She would become the 20th player in Detroit women's basketball history to surpass the mark and first since Senee Shearer during the 2013-14 season. Reynolds has led the Titans in scoring in four of five games this year.
Cohen's Career WeekSophomore forward
Brianne Cohen set a career-high in points with 19 against the Bonnies on Nov. 24. Cohen was 7-of-10 from the line and finished with six field goal makes from the field. Her previous career-best in points was 15, which came in her freshman season at Valparaiso. The point total was the most by a Titan non-starter since
Tayelor McCalister poured in a team-high 24 points against Green Bay on Feb. 1, 2014.
Cohen followed it up with a 17-point, nine-rebound effort off the bench in Detroit's win over Niagara. She finished the week with 36 points and 17 rebounds -- including nine offensive boards. Cohen had eight points in her first three games before her outburst in the last two contests.
Ristovski, Reynolds Among Horizon League LeadersJuniors
Haleigh Ristovski and
Rosanna Reynolds continue to rank among the league leaders in several statistical categories. Reynolds is fourth in scoring at 17.8 points per game and is also seventh in the league in assists per game at 3.8 per contest.
Ristovski is fifth in the conference in rebounding at 8.8 boards per game and third in defensive rebounds per contest at 7.8. She's also tied for seventh in 3-pointers per game at 2.4, which is just ahead of teammate
Nicole Urbanick's 2.2 3-point field goals made per contest.
The pair also rank in the top 10 in the Horizon League in shots blocked and minutes played. Reynolds has seven rejections for the season, while Ristovski has six blocks. Ristovski has played the most minutes per game (39.2) of anyone in the league, with Reynolds ranking eighth in minutes per game at 34.2.
Three's CompanyThe Titans had four players reach 40 or more 3-pointers made during the 2014-15 season. Three of those players are back this year -- Reynolds (59 triples), Ristovski (51) and Urbanick (40). The trio combined for 150 of the 221 triples Detroit made a season ago.
Ristovski (12 triples), Urbanick (11) and Reynolds (nine) have already combined for 32 three-pointers through five games this season. Reynolds moved into a tie for 12th all-time in triples against Niagara and has 95 makes from downtown in her Titan career. Ristovski is 16th all-time with 84 triples.
As a team, Detroit ranks fourth in the conference in 3-pointers made per game (8.0). The Titans trail Oakland (10.6), Green Bay (8.4) and Cleveland State (8.3) and have sank 40 triples in four games this season. That mark is also 30th in Division I.
Taking Care of the BallDetroit has shown great improvement in taking care of the ball so far in the 2015-16 season. After committing 18 turnovers in the season opener vs. Bradley, Detroit has allowed fewer and fewer in every game since.
Detroit committed 14 turnovers and just six in the second half against a Top-10 team in Maryland and then followed it up with just six turnovers -- including two in the second half -- against St. Bonaventure. The Titans had their second-straight game of under 10 turnovers, committing nine in the win over Niagara.
As of Monday, Detroit ranked 19th in the country in turnovers per game at 12.4.
Block PartyDetroit ranks fourth in the HL with 3.8 blocks per game, following this past weekend's games. UDM has 19 blocks in five games so far, trailing just UIC (5.4), Wright State (4.0) and Northern Kentucky (3.8) in shots blocked per game.
Rosanna Reynolds tallied three blocks in each of the first two games, while
Haleigh Ristovski has posted at least one block in every game this year. She had two blocks at Maryland.
Jackson Turns in Best Game of Young CareerNew York native
Brittney Jackson posted the best game of her young career, scoring eight points and dishing out three assists in Detroit's win over Niagara. She finished 2-of-4 from beyond the arc during the contest.
The freshman guard had a key steal in the final minute of the game and hit a game-clinching 3-pointer with 36 seconds left to give Detroit a four-point lead.
Up NextDetroit plays its next two games at home, hosting Salem International on Saturday, Dec. 5 and IPFW on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at Calihan Hall. The Titans hit the road for the final two times before the New Year after that, traveling to Western Michigan on Dec. 12 and Michigan State on Dec. 21.
