DETROIT (6/19/2015) -- University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball head coach Bernard Scott has reeled in his first recruiting class at UDM as Taylor Malone and Cortney Williams have officially signed with the Titans. 

Williams is a transfer from Jesuit-rival Loyola who will have to sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules, but will have three years of eligibility left, while Malone will be a freshman in the fall. 

"I am very happy that both of these student-athletes will be joining the Titan family," said coach Scott. "They are both very talented and will bring great energy and a great winning attitude to the program."

Williams – a 6-0 forward who starred at Southfield High School – spent her freshman year of college at former Horizon League member Loyola. 

She appeared in 22 games with the Ramblers as a rookie with one start coming against No. 19/21 Michigan State. She netted a season-high eight points and two assists against UAB, while twice pulling down three rebounds in a game. She also had two steals and two blocks against the nationally-ranked Spartans. 

"I recruited Cortney while I was at Cleveland State, and it is great to have her coming back to the Michigan area where she is from," said coach Scott. "She is a very physical post player who can not only score down low, but can also step outside and shoot."

As a prep, she was a four-year varsity letter winner in basketball for Southfield. During her senior season, she averaged 9.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game, earning All-Conference accolades as well as All-Defensive honors. She was tabbed MVP of her team as a junior and senior and the "Defensive Stopper" as a freshman and sophomore.

She also won four state championships on the AAU circuit with the Michigan Monarchs. 

Malone is another 6-0 forward hailing from Chicago. She earned four letters at Whitney Young High School and was a two-time city champion leading the team to a title in 2014 and 2015. 

"We are very fortunate to have found a player like Taylor this late," said coach Scott. "Taylor is a very skilled forward that has the ability to score inside or out. She's coming from a very successful high school in Whitney Young so she knows what it takes to compete for championships." 

The four-year varsity letter winner also helped the Dolphins to an Illinois High School Association (IHSA) 4A state championship as a junior.  

She played AAU with Mac Irvin Fire and the squad would go on to win several tournaments.

The Titans have already started announcing their schedule for the upcoming season and will begin the 2015-16 year with home games against Bradley (Nov. 13) and Michigan (Nov. 15).