Titan women's future looks bright

Of all the women's basketball games that have been part of UDM's magical ride to the top of the Horizon League, last Saturday's narrow win against UIC might be the most important. Sure, the Green Bay game was probably Rademacher's biggest, as she finally exacted a measure of revenge by beating up on her former team. You could also make a case for the first game against the Flames this year, when senior Brigid Mulroy hit a miraculous, off-balance, game-winning three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

The Titans have gotten accustomed to such games. Six of their 11 Horizon League wins have been by three points or less. But their last nail-biter in Chicago might have been the most impressive.

The game, which Detroit had led by double-digits for much of the first half, got familiarly and dangerously close in the second.

In lieu of their recent history, this was exactly the type of game you would expect Detroit to win. However, with 6:49 remaining and the Titans up one, 52-51, things got sticky.

Brigid Mulroy, the heart, soul and leading scorer of the team, fouled out with nine points on 2-6 shooting. I'm sure Rademacher is dreading the day when Mulroy will no longer don a Titan uniform, but Saturday gave her a quick glimpse into the team's future-and it looks bright.

Freshman Demeisha Fambro stepped up in Mulroy's absence to record six points, one assist and three rebounds in the final six minutes. She finished with 16 points, none more critical than a late-game three to put Detroit up one.

After losing the lead again, Fambro hit two big free throws to give the Titans a 60-59 lead - one they would not surrender.

Detroit has remained the best team in the conference because, for once, they're healthy (knock on a very, very large piece of wood).

Sophomore Sierra Spaude has proven to be one of Detroit's key players. She has averaged 5.8 points per game since coming back from multiple injuries.

She didn't play on Saturday, though, after getting popped in the nose in the game's opening minutes. We can only hope she will be able to continue her strong play.

Even if she needs a mask, we all know how well another masked Titan has played for Rademacher.

But what's so encouraging about Spaude, apart from her athleticism and defense, is her ability to spread the floor and hit an outside shot with consistency.

She's shooting nearly 40 percent from downtown, second only to Mulroy on the team.

Detroit will lose a lot of firepower when Mulroy graduates, but with Fambro's recent play and Spaude's talent, Detroit will be able to make up for it.

In the frontcourt, Detroit will have a log-jam in bigs when Talicia Washington and Heather Hatter return to join Yar Shayok, Kassandra Hooten and Cherridy Thornton down low.

All those options will make Detroit one of the most versatile teams in the league next year, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's still work to be done this season.

Mike Martinez is sports editor of The Varsity News. He writes a weekly guest column on www.foxsportsdetroit.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VNSportsEditor.