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DETROIT (2/9/14) – Juwan Howard Jr. recorded his second game-winning basket in three days to lift the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team by Youngstown State 83-81 in overtime on Sunday afternoon at historic Calihan Hall. The win pushed Detroit past the Penguins up to sixth place in the Horizon League after beginning the week in eighth.

With the score tied at 80 and time running down on the shot clock Howard was able to back down DJ Cole and sink a soft jumper from six feet away to give the Titans the lead with 18 seconds remaining, a lead they would not relinquish.

Kendrick Perry was then fouled on the Penguins next possession, but missed the front end of two free throws to make the score 82-81 with eight seconds left. Junior forward Patrick Onwenu then made the first of two for Detroit, before missing the second to keep it a two point game 83-81 with seven ticks left on the clock. Perry forced a three-pointer up with three seconds left and Kamren Belin missed the put back as time expired.

Howard finished the day with 24 points, five rebounds and two assists, while senior co-captain Evan Bruinsma added 19 points, eight boards and four helpers. Classmate Ugochukwu Njoku grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, while freshman Jarod Williams scored 14 points and Onwenu added nine.

Onwenu had the defensive play of the game in overtime when he forced Perry to turn the ball over at midcourt in the final minute of a tied game. The Titans took the lead on their next possession.

Detroit (12-14, 5-6 HL) held a three-point lead 71-68 with 21 seconds left in regulation before Shawn Amiker made a three-pointer from the right corner to tie the game with 10 seconds left. The Titans inbounded the ball quick as Williams took it coast-to-coast only to see his jumper rim in and out in the closing seconds. Bruinsma had a chance to win it at the buzzer with a tip-in, but that bounced out as well.

Youngstown State (13-12, 4-6 HL) took an early 74-71 lead to start overtime following a three-pointer from Cole. But the Titans were able to battle back with a 3-1 run to make it a one point game 75-74 after a jumper from Howard. An Amiker jumper then gave the Penguins a three point lead again with 2:22 left, before the Titans bounced back with a 6-1 run capped off by a pair of free throws from Bruinsma to take an 80-78 lead with 1:03 left. YSU tied the game with 52 ticks left, before Howard drained the game winner.

The Titans opened the game on fire from deep hitting three of their first four from downtown, including two from Bruinsma, to give Detroit and early 9-2 lead. The Penguins then answered back with an 11-2 run to take a 13-11 lead with 13:21 left. Detroit then answered back to tie the game 16-16 with 10:25 left, before closing the half with a 24-14 run, including a three-pointer from Howard as time expired. Howard and Bruinsma led Detroit with 10 points apiece in the opening stanza, while Amiker led all scores with 14 for YSU.

Youngstown State opened the second half with four quick points and never let up from there as it was able to trim Detroit's lead to two 51-49 with 11:54 left in regulation. The Titans bounced back to build their lead back up to seven, 67-60, with 3:19 remaining, before the Penguins closed regulation with an 11-4 run, including the three-pointer from Amiker in the closing seconds to force overtime.

Detroit shot 43 percent (28-of-64) overall, including 75 percent (3-of-4) in overtime, while YSU finished shooting 43 percent (25-of-58) overall and 40 percent (2-of-5) in the extra session. Both teams finished 8-of-23 from downtown, but the Penguins shot better from the charity stripe making 23-of-30, while Detroit finished 19-of-28. The Titans won the battle on the boards 42-35 and outscored YSU 15-0 from the bench.

Amiker led YSU with a career-high 25 points, while Perry added 22 points and Bobby Hain grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Detroit will play its third-straight Friday night showcase on ESPNU when the Titans visit Oakland on Friday, Feb. 14. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the O'rena with Jim Barber making the call.