DETROIT (11/20/2017) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team plays its first of three Big Ten opponents Tuesday night, hosting Michigan State University at Calihan Hall for a 7 p.m. contest.
The game is set to be seen locally on WADL TV-38 as well as online at ESPN3.com and on the WatchESPN Applications. The Voice of the Titans
Denny Kapp will be calling all of the action from Calihan Hall.
It's the first time Detroit Mercy is hosting a Big Ten opponent since the 2015-16 season — head coach
Bernard Scott's first at the helm of the Titans. The Titans hosted assistant coach
Madison Ristovski's Wolverines when the trio of Ristovski sisters -- Madison for Michigan and Haleigh and Lola for the Titans -- all played in a game with and against one another.
Freshman Lexey Tobel was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week on Monday following a standout performance in her home debut in which she tallied 16 points and sank five 3-pointers. It was the most points for a freshman in their home debut since 2012.
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Last Time Out
The Titans fought back time and time again from Calihan Hall behind some impressive performances, but the Titans fell in their home opener, 85-81, to Bowling Green on Field Trip Day.
The Titans shot well from the floor during the contest, hitting 13 3-pointers and shooting 46.0 percent overall from the field. Senior forward
Brianne Cohen scored 20 points with 15 points coming after the halftime break.
Anja Marinkovic and
Lexey Tobel combined for 10 triples with Marinkovic scoring 18 points and Tobel adding 16 points. Junior guard
Brittney Jackson had nine points and a career-high eight assists.
Detroit Mercy shot 58.6 percent in the second half, including 50 percent (6-for-12) from behind the arc.
Scouting Michigan State
The Spartans are 3-0 on the young season following three wins at home. Michigan State has scored 95-plus points in all three victories from the Breslin Center. MSU earned a 95-63 triumph over Oakland in its second game of the season on Nov. 13.
Three different players have led the Spartans in scoring thus far in 2017-18 and four players are averaging double figures in scoring -- Taya Reimer (15.0 ppg), Sidney Cooks (14.7 ppg), Shay Colley (13.3 ppg) and Branndais Agee (12.7 ppg). Taryn McCutcheon leads the Spartans with 15 assists and nine steals after three games. Michigan State is shooting 48.7 percent from the field to open the season.
All-Time Series
The Titans are 7-20 all-time against Michigan State, last playing the Spartans during coach Scott's first season in 2015-16. Detroit Mercy is 4-5 at home against MSU in its history.
Detroit Mercy last defeated the Spartans in 1994 by a 75-70 margin during the San Juan Shootout on a neutral court. The Titans have played MSU once under coach Scott, falling 81-42 during the 2015-16 season.
Tobel Named HL Freshman of the Week
Titan freshman
Lexey Tobel (Hartland, Mich.) earned the Horizon League Freshman of the Week honor following the second week of the season. Tobel sank five 3-pointers and scored 16 points in her home debut, adding two blocks, two rebounds and one assist.
Tobel's 16 points were the most by a Titan freshman since 2012. It's the first honor from the league office in her Detroit Mercy career. She is averaging 9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5. assists and 1.5 blocks after two games.
Field Trip Day
The Titans had their third-largest crowd for a women's basketball home game all-time with 4,127 fans announced for the third annual Field Trip Day game on Nov. 13. It was the largest crowd for the Titans for a home game since 2001 and the second-largest crowd since hosting #1-Old Dominion in 1979 for the Coca-Cola Classic from Calihan Hall.
4,798 - Feb. 10, 2001, vs. Green Bay
4,742 - Nov. 24, 1979, vs. #1 Old Dominion
4,127 - Nov. 13, 2017, vs. Bowling Green
3,865 - Nov. 23, 1979, vs. LSU
Against the Big Ten
Detroit Mercy is 36-51 all-time against current members of the Big Ten. The Titans have a 12-14 record against Michigan.
The Titans play three Big Ten foes during the 2017-18 season -- two of them at home. Detroit Mercy also hosts Michigan on Dec. 4 before traveling to Illinois for a contest on Dec. 10 in Champaign.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy heads to the 2017 San Juan Shootout, which is being held this season in Daytona Beach, Fla. this season on Nov. 23-24. The Titans are playing Clemson at 6:15 p.m. Thursday before battling with North Texas at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Both games are being played at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.
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