UDM women open Horizon League tourney with 59-48 win over Robert Morris
Tony Paul
Detroit — It's spring break at Detroit Mercy.
But there will be no rest, not yet anyway, for the Titans women's basketball team, which held off Robert Morris, 59-48, in the first round of the Horizon League tournament at Calihan Hall on Tuesday night.
It was Detroit Mercy's first win in the Horizon League tournament since 2017, continuing the program's stunning turnaround in head coach Kate Achter's second season.
The Titans (17-15) advance to play at Purdue Fort Wayne (20-11) in the quarterfinals on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The teams split during the regular season.
The semifinals and final are in Indianapolis on March 11-12.
"That would be the dream, really, just a dream," junior forward Emma Trawally Porta said. "That would be the biggest accomplishment."
Trawally Porta, who had five blocks, eight points and four rebounds in the win, has been a Titan for three seasons.
In her first season, Detroit Mercy won just one game. Achter came in for her second season, and things have changed, in a hurry.
"Not at all, not all," Trawally Porta said, when asked if she could've envisioned this, a Horizon League tournament win, when going through what she went through as a freshman. "It's the best year of being here, this year. Just being conscious of the progression and how great we've become.
"We're just working hard every day, and coming every day to get 1% better every day."
Senior forward Irena Murua led a balanced Detroit Mercy offensive attack with 12 points, to go with six rebounds. Freshman point guard Paris Gilmore had nine points, including Detroit Mercy's first points, on a 3, nearly three-and-a-half minutes into the game. Sophomore guard Myonna Hooper (West Bloomfield) also had nine points.
Senior guard Lucia Fleta Robles had eight points, including maybe the team's biggest — a banked 3-pointer with about 90 seconds left to put Detroit Mercy back up 10 points in a game that was getting a bit tense, with so many Titans turnovers in the fourth quarter.
That's when Achter was finally able to breathe a little bit.
"It feels a little surreal, to be honest with you, because it just feels like we're in the moments," Achter said, minutes after the victory. "But I think when we stop and take stock of it here in a couple hours, after I've come down, man, what a big step for our program.
"We're just in Year 2, and these kids just keep surprising me.
"Man, it feels awesome."
Junior guard Simone Moore and junior center Danielle Vuletich led Robert Morris (6-24) with 15 points apiece.
The Colonials, beaten easily by the Titans twice during the regular season, made a game of this one Tuesday night, racing out to an early 9-3 lead, before Detroit Mercy started to settle in. The Titans led, 40-27, at halftime, and took a 40-27 lead early in the third quarter.
A Fleta Robles 3 in the third quarter made it 47-33, Detroit Mercy's biggest lead of the game, with 3 minutes, 24 seconds left in the third quarter.
But Robert Morris didn't go away, with seven of Detroit Mercy's 18 turnovers coming in the fourth quarter. The Titans got a little rushed, as Achter fears they might on occasion, given the team's lack of experience. But what they lack in experience, they make up for in want-to.
And, make mistake, they want to go farther than just Thursday.
"They weathered the storm," Achter said. "I'll fight with them any day when they play like that."
Senior forward Jada Moorehead (Jackson) added 10 rebounds for the Titans, who won the board battle, 34-27. The Titans shot 52.1% from the floor, and 36.4% from 3.
Northern Kentucky 70, (at) Oakland 62
An emotional, rollercoaster of a season came to an end Tuesday night for the Golden Grizzlies, who were eliminated in the opening round of the Horizon League tournament for a second consecutive season.
At the O’Rena in Rochester, sophomore guard Maddy Skorupski (Clarkston) led the way for Oakland (12-17) with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting, and sophomore point guard Brooke Quarles-Daniels (Macomb) had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard/forward Linda van Schaik had 11 points.
Freshman center Carter McCray led Northern Kentucky (11-19) with 24 points and 19 rebounds, and junior guard Kailee Davis (Detroit Renaissance) had 17 points. Junior guard Khamari Mitchell-Steen added 12 points for the Norse, which split with the Golden Grizzlies during the regular season.
Oakland's season began with adversity, with head coach Jeff Tungate needed emergency spinal surgery. Oakland basketball legend Deanna Richard served as acting head coach.
Northern Kentucky next plays at No. 1 seed Cleveland State (27-4) on Thursday night.
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