The Basics
Final Score: Detroit Mercy 61, UIC 58
Records: Detroit Mercy 1-16 (1-5 HL), UIC 7-9 (0-5 HL)
Location: Chicago, Ill. (UIC Pavilion)
CHICAGO, Ill. (1/13/2018) -- Behind a hot-shooting start to the game and several clutch moments late, the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team earned a wire-to-wire victory at UIC on Saturday, 61-58.
Detroit Mercy opened the contest on fire from the field, sinking 9-of-13 shots (69 percent) in the first quarter to take a 24-10 lead after one frame. The Titans continued to play strong on both ends throughout the game, especially in the final minutes.
With the Titans leading 54-51 with 3:54 left in the game, sophomore
Zoey Oatis took a charge call at the other end of the court to help change the momentum of the game after UIC had trimmed the lead down to three. Senior
Brianne Cohen made 1-of-2 free throws with 1:41 left and then UIC converted on a lay-up to pull to within one, 55-54, with 1:27 remaining.
Following a timeout, sophomore
Anja Marinkovic knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing following a big offensive board by sophomore
Ashley Miller, who assisted on the bucket. Marinkovic's trey made it 58-54 with 27 seconds left. UIC sank a jumper just seconds later to cut the lead to two points again, 58-56.
Marinkovic then made 1-of-2 free throws to make it 59-56 with 20 ticks left. After UIC missed a long 3-pointer, the Flames grabbed an offensive board and put it back in to make it 59-58 with four seconds left. Senior
Nicole Urbanick received the ball on the in-bounds play and after she was fouled, she knocked down both free throws making the score 61-58.
UIC had 2.7 seconds left to try and tie the game, but was unable to get a shot off as its half court heave was well after the buzzer rang.
The victory was a total team effort Saturday, with six players scoring eight points or better and several players contributing in key moments in the victory. Detroit Mercy shot 52 percent in the first half and 45.8 percent (22-for-48) overall in the contest.
Cohen had a team-best 13 points, while junior
Brittney Jackson, freshman
Lexey Tobel and Urbanick all were also in double figures with 10 points each. Marinkovic and Oatis each added eight points, while Miller grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
The Titans came out on fire in the first, connecting on their first three shots to open the game on a 7-0 run. Marinkovic sank a jumper, Cohen hit a 3-pointer and Jackson followed with a lay-up as Detroit Mercy led 7-0 just 1:26 into the game.
Detroit Mercy made it a 16-5 margin later in the first stanza, going on a 9-0 run after UIC had scored five points. Oatis scored the final four points during the run on a lay-up and two free throws as the Titans led 16-5 with 3:53 left in the quarter. The Titans ended the first up 14 points, 24-10, with Urbanick hitting a lay-up and Tobel following with two free throws with just 23 seconds left in the frame.
Detroit Mercy led by as many as 15 points in the first half and led at the break, 34-22. The Titans were 9-for-9 from the free throw line in the first half, shooting 12-of-23 overall (52 percent) from the floor. Tobel and Cohen each had eight points at the halftime break.
The red, white and blue continued to lead by double figures for much of the third quarter with Urbanick hitting back-to-back triples midway through the stanza. Marinkovic added a lay-up to give Detroit Mercy a 50-35 advantage with 1:59 left in the third, but UIC closed the quarter on a 10-0 run to pull within five, 50-45.
Oatis and Jackson each went strong to the hoop for lay-ups early in the fourth quarter, all setting up for the thrilling finish in the final minutes for the Titans.
The Titans and Flames were even in several statistical categories as they were even in rebounds (34-34), points in the paint (30-30) and points off turnovers (18-18). Detroit Mercy finished the game 13-of-15 from the free throw line (season-best 86.7 percent) and had five blocks.
Detroit Mercy held UIC to just 31.7 percent shooting, the lowest shooting percentage for an opponent this season.
Miller led the team with nine boards, while Tobel added seven caroms. Jackson had a team-best three assists, while Tobel added two blocks and two steals in the contest.
Titan News & Notes
• Cohen became the 12th player in school history to surpass 1,300 career points in the game.
• Urbanick tied Michelle James for second all-time in career 3-pointers made (217).
• Urbanick scored in double figures for the fifth-straight contest.
• The 45.8 shooting percentage was the second-best of the season for the Titans.
• It was the ninth game of the year of four or more blocks.
• Miller's nine rebounds were a career-best, besting the seven she had at Illinois in December.
• The Titans are 3-2 against the Flames under head coach
Bernard Scott.
• It was the 52nd meeting between UIC and the Titans (Detroit Mercy leads 28-24).
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the hardwood on Thursday, Jan. 18, hosting Green Bay at 7 p.m. from Calihan Hall.
