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Shooting close to 60 percent and outscoring Loyola 39-19 in the decisive second half, the Detroit Titans moved to 10-5 on the year and 3-1 in the Horizon League with a 59-42 victory over the Ramblers on Saturday afternoon.

The victory pulled Detroit to within a half-game of league-leading Butler (3-0) in the standings. It also ended Loyola's seven-game winning streak and dropped LU to 11-3 on the season (2-2 HL). 

Sophomore Eli Holman had 14 points, seven rebounds and tied his career high with six blocks to pace the Titans. Senior Thomas Kennedy netted 10 points and junior Xavier Keeling had nine points and equaled his career best with nine boards. Guard Lamar Lee also connected for nine points, nailing three three-pointers in the UDM winning effort.

Loyola carried a 23-20 lead into intermission after a first half which saw neither team shoot better than 32% from the field, but things were certainly different after the Titans returned from the locker room. Detroit canned four of its first six shots from the field – two of the hoops coming from guard Chase Simon – and took a quick 28-25 advantage with 3:37 gone in the second half. Keeling added a pair of free throws and Kennedy tossed in a basket to push the lead to seven.

Loyola had one response in it, running off five straight markers to pull to within a pair, 32-30, with 13:38 left as Terrance Hill connected on a three-pointer and Walt Gibler added two free throws. Detroit responded quickly with a 12-4 run to push its advantage to 10, and never lost its double-figure lead the rest of the way. The Titans' largest edge came with 3:14 left when Donavan Foster's jumper in the key sponsored a 59-39 bulge, and UDM coasted the rest of the way en route to win No. 10.

Thanks to its sizzling second half, Detroit shot .463 from the field for the game. Loyola countered with just .259 accuracy for the game, hitting only five of its 25 field goal attempts in the second stanza. LU guard Courtney Stanley led all players with eight rebounds, but the Titans still held a 42-34 advantage on the glass as a team.

Detroit now returns home for a pair of televised contests. The Titans host Valparaiso on Friday night (ESPNU, 7:05 p.m.), then return to Calihan Hall next Sunday (Jan. 10, 1:05 p.m.) to lock horns with 23rd-ranked Butler in a game that will be aired live on FOX Sports Detroit.

-Detroit Titans-