Box Score
Postgame Press Conference

DETROIT (1/4/14) – Senior co-captain Evan Bruinsma had 17 points and sophomore guard Anton Wilson added 12, including some timely three-pointers as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team held off Wright State, 58-53, Saturday afternoon in its Horizon League opener at Calihan Hall.

After trailing 31-29 at the half Wright State (9-8, 1-1) answered back to build a 44-38 lead with 9:24 left in regulation, before the Titans closed the game with a 20-9 run to record their fourth-straight win at home.

Bruinsma led Detroit (8-8, 1-0) with a game-high 17 points, including 12 in the second half,  to go along with nine rebounds while Wilson finished with 12 points on  3-of-4 from shooting downtown. Junior forward Juwan Howard Jr. finished with nine points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Carlton Brundidge added eight points and Jarod Williams pitched in seven. Senior center Ugochukwu Njoku grabbed a game and career-high 11 rebounds.

Wright State opened the game with a 6-0 run over the first three minutes of action, before the Titans answered back with an 11-4 run, including a three-pointer from Howard, to take their first lead of the game 11-10. The Raiders would regain the lead 14-11 with 12 minutes left, before Detroit put together a 13-4 run over the next six minutes to build a 24-18 lead. Wright State would trim Detroit's lead to two, 26-24, with four minutes left before five quick points, including a three-point play the old fashion way from Brundidge gave the Titans a 31-24 lead. The Raiders would close the half with a 5-0 run to make the score 31-29 at intermission. Wilson led Detroit with seven points in the first half, while Bruinsma, Brundidge and Howard each had five.

Detroit scored the first five points of the second stanza and looked liked it would runaway early forcing Wright State head coach Billy Donlon to call a timeout. Following the timeout the Raiders put together a 15-2 run to build their largest lead of the game 44-38 with 9:24 left. A three-pointer from Wilson followed by eight-straight points from Bruinsma sparked the Titans 20-9 run to close the game.

Detroit finished shooting 36.4 percent (16-of-44) overall, while holding Wright State to 35.8 percent (19-of-53). The Titans finished 6-of-14 from downtown, while the Raiders finished 4-of-22 from beyond the arc. Detroit also forced 13 turnovers, with six steals and five blocked shots.

Chrishawn Hopkins and AJ Pacher led Wright State with a 11 points and five rebounds apiece, while Miles Dixon added nine points and six rebounds.

Detroit will continue Horizon League play when the Titans visit Cleveland State on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Wolstein Center. The game can be heard on 1270 AM with Dan Leach the voice of Titan Basketball.

GAME NOTES: Detroit improved to 25-22 in the all-time series against Wright State … The Titans also improved to 6-2 at home this year … Evan Bruinsma has scored in double figures 10 times this season … Detroit improved to 4-1 in Horizon League openers at Calihan Hall under head coach Ray McCallum … The Titans have also won back-to-back League openers for the first time since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons ... Detroit has also held five opponents under 60 points this season, including the last three games.