Box Score

Sophomore Ryan Janer (Bay City, MI/All Saints Central) hit two crucial 3-pointers, including one in overtime, to help the Titans win their first conference road game in two years as Detroit rallied to defeat Youngstown State, 68-64, in overtime on Saturday night.

The win ended a 13-game conference road slide dating back to last season and was the first Horizon League road victory for the Titans since Jan. 20, 2007, when Detroit downed UIC, 66-54.

The Titans (6-15, 1-10 HL) were down by four, 45-41, with just under six minutes to go when tensions began to rise in the Beeghly Center. A scramble for a loose ball resulted in a technical foul called on YSU's (6-15, 3-8 HL) Zach Rebillot for an elbow thrown at senior Chris Hayes (Chicago, IL/Mt. Carmel).

Junior Thomas Kennedy (Detroit, MI/Southeastern) would convert the two free throws and with possession still in favor of Detroit, junior Woody Payne (Inkster, MI/Ypsilanti) drove the lane for a lay up to tie the game at 45. Janer then stepped up with a long trey from the right side to put the Titans up by three, 48-45 with 4:30 left in the game.

Detroit pushed its lead to as many as five, 54-49, with a minute to go, but the Penguins were able to send the game into overtime, ending the period on a 6-1 run.

In the extra session, the game was once again knotted, this time at 57-57, when Janer once again nailed a trifecta to give the red, white and blue a lead they would never give back. UDM would seal the victory hitting six of eight free throws down the stretch.

Kennedy ended the night tying his season high with a game-best 24 points. Payne nearly registered a triple-double with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Hayes added 11 markers and a game-high nine rebounds.

Both teams shot the ball well to start the game as YSU connected on 12-of-24 in the first half, while UDM was 10-of-22. The Titans were down by two, 8-6, a the 13:37 mark when UDM ran of eight straight points en route to a 14-4 run over the next five minutes to open its largest lead of the game, 20-12, with eight minutes left. Hayes sparked the spurt with six points, while Kennedy added four.

YSU, though, was able to take a one-point advantage at the half, 28-27, ending the period on a 16-7 tally. Both teams then traded the lead to start the second half, with Youngstown State opening its largest margin of the game, 45-41, with nine minute to go. 

The game also featured both coaching staffs wearing sneakers with their suits as part of the 2009 Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers awareness weekend.

The Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers initiative is a collaboration between the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) which unites coaches from across the country in a common effort to raise cancer awareness in their communities.

Detroit will now get ready for a showdown with the 13th-ranked Butler Bulldogs on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 8:05 p.m. with the game televised regionally on Fox Sports Detroit.