Game Notes (PDF)
DETROIT (1/15/2016) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team looks to get back on track Saturday, hosting Horizon League newcomer Northern Kentucky to Calihan Hall for a 12 p.m. contest. The game is set to be streamed live on ESPN3 and broadcasted locally on WADL with
Denny Kapp and
Colin MacDonald calling all of the action.
The Titans (7-9, 3-2 Horizon League) are coming off an 89-71 loss to Wright State in their most recent outing. Junior guard
Rosanna Reynolds scored her 1,000th point in the game, becoming the 20th player in Detroit women's basketball history to reach the mark. Northern Kentucky (10-5, 2-2 HL) is coming off a 75-71 road win at Oakland on Thursday. It'll be the first meeting between the two schools.
It's UDM Staff and Employee Appreciation Day at Calihan Hall in the first game of a doubleheader with the Detroit men's basketball team. All employees and staff get in for free until halftime of the women's game. Fans may also purchase tickets for just $6 for both games up until halftime of the women's contest.
Reynolds Reaches 1,000 Career Points, Titans Fall to RaidersJunior guard
Rosanna Reynolds reached the 1,000-point milestone for the Titans on Thursday, but Detroit fell to a hot-shooting Wright State squad in an 89-71 loss at Calihan Hall. The defeat ended a three-game conference win streak for Detroit (7-9, 3-2 Horizon League).
Reynolds, who entered the game just four points shy of the milestone, scored her first points of the game on a fast break lay-up early in the first quarter and reached 1,000 points exactly with 56 seconds left in the stanza on another lay-up from the block.
The reigning Horizon League Player of the Week finished the game with a team-high-tying 19 points for Detroit. She became the 20th player in Detroit women's basketball history to reach 1,000 points and first since Senee Shearer in 2013-14.
Sophomore forward
Chea Taylor had the best game of her young career, totaling career-highs of 16 points and nine rebounds. Classmate
Brianne Cohen posted the first double-double of her career, tallying 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds off the bench.
Reynolds, Urbanick Earn Honors After 3-0 WeekRosanna Reynolds and
Nicole Urbanick each received honors on Monday following their play last week. Reynolds was named the Horizon League Player of the Week and Urbanick was selected the College Sports Madness HL Player of the Week after Detroit went 3-0 last week.
It's Reynolds second career Horizon League Player of the Week honor, while Urbanick has been named the College Sports Madness HL Player of the Week two times in the 2015-16 campaign. Reynolds, a redshirt-junior guard, averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 assists and 5.6 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free throw line in Detroit's three wins. She had a season-high eight assists against Valparaiso and a season-best 26 points in a win at UIC.
Urbanick led Detroit with 67 points last week, averaging 22.3 points per contest. She connected on 48.7 percent (19-of-39) of her field goal attempts, posting 24 points against the Vikings and a game-high 31 points in Detroit's road win over UIC. The sophomore sharpshooter made 14, 3-pointers during the week and shot 14-of-29 from beyond the arc during the three-game stretch.
All-Time SeriesDetroit and Northern Kentucky are meeting for the first time. The Norse, previously a member of the Atlantic Sun, are in their first year in the Horizon League.
Scouting Northern KentuckyThe Norse are in their first season in the Horizon League having joined for all sports prior to the 2015-16 seasons. Northern Kentucky (10-5, 2-2 HL) began the season with three exhibition wins over the Costa Rica National Team and has performed well midway through the season. NKU fell to a common Detroit opponent in Cincinnati (L, 71-68), but earned a 77-64 win over IPFW, a team Detroit also beat earlier this year. The Norse dropped their first Horizon League game to Valparaiso, 61-60, but have won two of three since, including beating Oakland, 75-71, in their most recent game.
Christine Rouch is fourth in the Horizon League and leads NKU at 16.1 points per game. She is second in the conference behind
Nicole Urbanick in 3-pointers made per game (2.7). She has sank 40 and is shooting 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. Rebecca Lyttle is averaging 11.8 points per game and leads the Norse at 8.1 rebounds per contest. As a team, NKU is third in the league in scoring offense (74.6 ppg), while leading the league in 3-point field goal percentage (37.2). They are second behind Detroit in fewest turnovers per game (13.7).
Assist-to-Turnover LeadersAfter leading the Horizon League in assist-to-turnover ratio last year,
Haleigh Ristovski and
Rosanna Reynolds are once again doing it in 2015-16. Both players were in the top 20 nationally last season in the category and are 1-2 in the HL once again as Ristovski has a 2.3 ratio and Reynolds is at 2.1.
Haleigh Ristovski has 54 assists and 24 turnovers, including a 22-to-5 mark in Horizon League games. Reynolds ranks third in the league in assists with 75 against 35 turnovers. Detroit leads the Horizon League in fewest turnovers per game (13.1).
Taking Care of the RockDetroit is first in the Horizon League and 19th in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game. The Titans have been ranked among the league leaders all season and currently averages just 13.1 turnovers per game.
The Titans have had six games this year of 10 turnovers or fewer. Detroit turned the ball over six times at St. Bonaventure and followed it up with just nine turnovers against Niagara in the team's first win of the year. Detroit is averaging just 10.4 turnovers per game in Horizon League play (five games) and have turned the ball over 11 times or less in four out of the five games.
Earlier in the year against No. 8-ranked Maryland, Detroit had just six turnovers in the second half against one of the top teams in the country in the Terrapins.
Chea's Big GameSophomore forward
Chea Taylor had the best game of her young Titan career against Wright State, hitting her first seven field goals and finishing with career highs of 16 points and nine rebounds in just 21 minutes. Her previous career high of eight points came earlier this season against Salem International. The Bellbrook, Ohio native finished the game shooting 7-for-9 from the field.
Taylor has started 14 games for Detroit and is shooting 55.4 percent from the field, while ranking third on the team with 22 offensive rebounds.
Urbanick Heats Up From OutsideSophomore guard
Nicole Urbanick continues to lead the Horizon League in 3-point field goals made, hitting 47 already in just 16 games.
The Divine Child HS graduate ranks fifth in the HL in scoring at 15.9 points per game. She ranks 14th in the country in total 3-pointers made (47) and 16th in the nation in 3-pointers made per game (2.9). Urbanick ranks first in the Horizon League in both categories.
Urbanick tied a school record earlier this season, nailing eight 3-pointers against Eastern Michigan. The single-game school record tied that of Daphne Smith's record from 1987. Urbanick set a career-high with 32 points against the Eagles. The point total is tied for the highest in the Horizon League this season with Wright State's Kim Demmings.
Fourty and UpDetroit is 7-1 when it shoots 40 percent or better from the floor. The Titans' lone loss when they shot 40 percent came against Youngstown State in the Horizon League opener. The Titans shot a season-high 50.9 percent in a win at UIC. Detroit has shot 40 percent or better in four out of its past five games.
Shooting EfficiencyIn Horizon League play, the Titans rank near the top of the conference in field goal percentage (43.7, third), free throw percentage (76.0, first) and 3-point field goal percentage (36.1, third). The Titans are second in scoring offense at 76.8 points per game and assists (15.8 per game), while leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5). Detroit is also second in 3-pointers made per game (8.6) and tied for third in blocked shots (3.4).
Up NextDetroit returns to the court next Saturday, hosting #MetroSeries rival Oakand in the first meeting between the two programs this season. The two schools split last season's series, with each team winning on their home court. Detroit earned a 73-62 victory in the first #MetroSeries matchup at Calihan Hall on Jan. 22, 2015.
