Box Score

Photo Gallery of Football Alumni Day Reception & John Conti Award Presentation

Despite holding Cleveland State to just eight points over the first 17 minutes of play in the second half, the Detroit Titans men's basketball team saw its rally fall short as the team dropped it second consecutive game, 53-44, to Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon.

Detroit (4-9, 0-4 HL) trailed by 16, 36-20, just 13 seconds into the second half when the Titans defense got them back in the game, holding Cleveland State (11-5, 2-2 HL) to just eight points over the next 17 minutes and just 19 points in the final stanza.

Junior Nemanja Jokic (Sombor, Serbia/Mechanical) started the Detroit comeback connecting on back-to-back baskets, including a three-pointer, which sparked UDM to go on a 12-4 run to cut into the Viking lead. Senior Michael Harrington (Country Club Hills, IL/Rich Central) and junior Eugene Blue (Flint, MI/Northern) also contributed with four points apiece as the Titans trailed by just eight, 40-32, with 11:49 to go in the game. 

UDM continued to chip away and was able to get within a basket, 42-40, after a Harrington lay up with 5:14 remaining. However, Cleveland State closed the game out on a 13-2 run sparked by freshman Trevon Harmon's back-to-back threes, which pushed the Vikings to the nine point victory.

"Cleveland State is a talented basketball team. They got us back on our heels at the start then, later on, we decided we could play with them and did some good things to come back,” said head coach Ray McCallum. “We competed hard. We had some opportunities down the stretch, but we've got to convert those opportunities. We've got to make free throws if we're going to win basketball games.”

"We didn't quit when we got down. We battled back and got in a position to win. Cleveland State is the team that was picked to win our league in the pre-season and we showed we can compete with them."

The Titans were led by Jokic and junior Woody Payne (Inkster, MI/Ypsilanti) who each had 10 points, while Harrington and junior Thomas Kennedy (Detroit, MI/Southeastern) added nine markers.

CSU was paced by senior J'Nathan Bullock who tallied a game-high 12 points.

The Titans will now hit the road for a pair of Horizon League contests in Indiana, starting with a visit to Valparaiso on Thursday, Jan. 8. Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m. (EST).