DETROIT (12/20/2015) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team will play its last non-conference road game Monday night, visiting in-state foe and nationally-ranked Michigan State on Monday night in East Lansing. The game at the Breslin Center is set for a 7 p.m. tip. Tickets start at $3.
Detroit (4-5) has had an eight-day break competitively from the court, last playing on Dec. 12, when Detroit gave Western Michigan everything it had, but falling in the final minutes, 70-66, in Kalamazoo. Head coach
Bernard Scott's squad had its longest win streak since 2012-13 snapped in the loss.
The Spartans (8-2) are currently ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press poll with a new poll coming out Monday morning. It'll be the third Big Ten team that Detroit meets this season. The Titans hosted Michigan in their second game of the year and visited then-No. 8 Maryland on Nov. 20.
Titans Fall in Final Minutes at Western MichiganRosanna Reynolds notched her third double-double of the year and was one of four Titans in double figures, but Detroit fell in the final minutes of the game at Western Michigan, 70-66, on Dec. 12. Reynolds had 13 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, while
Brianne Cohen added 16 points and seven boards off the bench for Detroit.
The Titans had a 37-27 halftime lead on the strength of a 20-4 run in the middle of the second quarter. The Titans made 5-of-10 triples in the first half and forced nine WMU turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. Detroit continued its strong play and led after three quarters, 55-45.
WMU cut the Detroit lead to three points, 60-57, with 4:51 left. Several questionable calls went against the Titans in the final minutes of the contest, including a pair of charge calls. Still, Detroit and WMU were tied 64-64 with 1:30 remaining. Jackson forced a steal with under one minute to go and Detroit down three points, 67-64, but Jackson missed a 3-pointer on the other end and WMU made all four free throws in the final minute to clinch the victory.
Brittney Jackson scored eight of her career-high 11 points in the opening 20 minutes for the Titans. Jackson finished 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Nicole Urbanick sank two 3-pointers and finished with 14 points for Detroit. The Titans shot 37.9 percent for the game and sank 10-of-13 from the free throw line.
Rosie Nears 1,000Redshirt-junior guard
Rosanna Reynolds is quickly nearing the 1,000-point plateau. She leads the Titans in scoring this season and is 91 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 and reached the 900-point mark early in the game agaisnt Western Michigan.
She would become the 20th player in Detroit women's basketball history to surpass the 1,000-point mark and first since Senee Shearer during the 2013-14 season. Reynolds has led the Titans in scoring in six of nine games this year and leads the team with a 16.8 points per game average. Reynolds is also just one 3-pointer away from 100 for her career. She ranks 12th all-time with 99 made triples.
Unbeaten StreakDetroit had its longest unbeaten streak since 2012-13 during its most recent homestand when the Titans finished 4-0 for a four-game win streak. The Titans earned home victories over Niagara, Cincinnati, Salem International and IPFW for its four victories and averaged 75.5 points per game in the win stretch.
All-Time SeriesDetroit and Michigan State have met 26 times previously, with the Spartans holding a 19-7 series advantage. Detroit won six of the first 10 in the series, which began in 1979. The Titans' last victory over MSU came in 1994, when Detroit earned a 75-70 win on Dec. 20. UDM has one victory in East Lansing, which came in the very first game played in the series, a 61-60 Detroit win on Feb. 6, 1979.
Scouting Michigan StateThe Spartans (8-2) are on a four-game win streak entering Monday night's game with the Titans. MSU is averaging 77.0 points in its last four games. Michigan State's lone two losses this year came against Baylor and Louisville. The Spartans are 4-1 at the Breslin Center this year.
Aerial Powers leads the Spartans with a 17.9 points per game average. She also leads the squad in rebounding at 7.4 boards per game. Tori Jankoska is second on the team in scoring at 16.9 points per game. She has connected on 26 triples and is shooting 89.7 from the free throw line. Branndais Agee is the third member of the team who averages in double figures (11.6 ppg), while Morgan Green leads MSU in assists with 41 in 10 games.
Taking Care of the BallDetroit is first in the Horizon League in fewest turnovers per game this season. The Titans have been ranked among the league leaders all season and currently averages just 14.0 turnovers per game, better than second-place Northern Kentucky (14.5 turnovers per game).
The Titans have had three games this year of 10 turnovers or fewer. Detroit turned the ball over just six times at St. Bonaventure and followed it up with just nine turnovers against Niagara in the team's first win of the year. UDM also had 10 turnovers in its most recent game against Western Michigan, including just five in the first three quarters. Earlier in the year against No. 8-ranked Maryland, Detroit had 14 turnovers, but just six in the second half against the Terrapins.
Horizon League LeadersReynolds ranks third in the Horizon League in scoring (16.9 points per game) and assists (4.4 per game), while
Haleigh Ristovski is third in the conference in rebounding (8.9 boards per game).
Nicole Urbanick ranks ninth in the league in scoring (14.1 points per game), giving Detroit two players in the top 10 in scoring.
Sophomore forward
Brianne Cohen is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (53.6 on 37-of-69 shooting). Reynolds ranks second in the HL in free throw percentage (86.5 on 32-of-37 free throws).
Haleigh Ristovski, who led the Horizon League in assist-to-turnover last year, again leads the league this year with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio so far this year. She has 29 assists to 12 turnovers. Reynolds is fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0).
Haleigh Ristovski is also second in the HL in defensive rebounds (8.2 per game) and minutes played (36.9 per game). UIC's Ruvanna Campbell leads the conference in both of those categories.
Block PartyThe Titans have the highest single-game block total this season. Detroit had 12 rejections against IPFW. It's also believed to be the highest block total for a Titan women's basketball team in the past decade.
Haleigh Ristovski had a career-best six blocks in that contest.
Detroit ranks second in the Horizon League in blocked shots per game (4.8), trailing just UIC (5.3). Detroit has 43 blocks through nine games and is on pace to surpass last year's total with ease. The Titans had 82 blocks in 30 games for a 2.7 blocks per game average in 2014-15.
Urbanick Scores 14 in a QuarterNicole Urbanick has the highest points total for a Titan in a single quarter this season, scoring 14 points on her way to a career-best 24 points against Salem International. Urbanick scored her 24 points in just 20 minutes. She made four triples and shot 10-of-16 from the field in her career day. Urbanick's 24 points is the highest single-game total for a Detroit player this season. It was also Urbanick's first-career 20-point game.
As a team, Detroit's best quarter this season came against Niagara, when Detroit scored 26 points in the third quarter of the game. Detroit has also scored its most points in the third quarter (167). Detroit's best quarter as far as point differential is the final quarter, where Detroit trails its opponents by just nine points (150-159).
Up NextDetroit hosts Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, Dec. 30 for a 7 p.m. tilt. It'll be the final non-conference matchup of the regular season for the Titans. Detroit opens the Horizon League schedule Saturday, Jan. 2, hosting Youngstown State at 12 p.m. in the first of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team at Calihan Hall.
