DETROIT (10/29/2016) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team returned to the court in a big way with a charity exhibition game against Wayne State on Saturday night as the Titans fell to the Warriors, 85-79, in the inaugural "City College Series."
The in-state rivalry served as the kickoff of Detroit Mercy's new "City College Series," a sponsorship formed with Michigan First Credit Union to raise money for DPS with the aid of a basketball game between local academic institutions in the city. All proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to Detroit Public Schools to provide financial assistance for the district's K-5 classrooms with Michigan First contributing a matching donation for all tickets sold.
Senior
Chris Jenkins led the way with a game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman
Corey Allen tallied 20 points and junior
Jaleel Hogan posted 18 points and nine boards.
Wayne State scored the game's first four points and led early on, 15-12, when the Titans responded with a 9-0 spurt to take a 21-15 lead midway through the first half. The Warriors were able to jump back in front and hit a long three at the buzzer to lead at the break, 40-36.
The pesky Warriors opened up the second half and extended their lead by as many as nine on four occasions, the latest at 55-46 with 14 minutes left. That is when Hogan went to work scoring nine of Detroit Mercy's next 11 points, including a jumper to pull the team within two, 59-57, at the 9:36 mark.
Jenkins then hit two free throws to tie the contest at 59-all, but WSU did not go away and upped its lead again to as many as six down the stretch. A triple by Allen and a layup by Jenkins brought the Titans back to within one, 71-70, with 3:06 left, but that was as close as they got.
Junior
DeShawndre Black added eight points, four rebounds and two assists, while senior
Jarod Williams pulled down five caroms.
The Titans shot 44.6-percent from the field, including 15-of-29 (51.7%) in the second half and also won the battle of the boards, 43-38.
Detroit Mercy's second and final exhibition of the season will be on Monday, Nov. 7, as the Titans host Ferris State on Dick Vitale Court. That game is free and will tip-off at 7 p.m.
Game Notes:
The meeting between the two Detroit schools was the first since the squads played an exhibition game on Nov. 19, 2002, a 73-65 victory for the red, white and blue… During the regular season, the Titans own a 33-13 career record against their Motor City counterparts with the last official match-up on Nov. 20, 2000, a 98-73 win… With the game benefiting DPS, the night featured a number of Motor City products including 10 total student-athletes from the city of Detroit and four coaches who all have early roots in the city… Four of the student-athletes from Detroit Mercy that grew up in the city are senior
Chris Jenkins (U-D Jesuit), sophomores
Gerald Blackshear (Detroit Western) and
Josh McFolley (Detroit Western) and freshman walk-on
Ed Carter III (Edison), while head coach Bacari Alexander (Southwestern) and assistant coach Jermaine Jackson (Finney) also hail from Detroit… There is some crossover between the Titan and Warriors' coaching staffs as WSU head coach David Greer spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Titans from 1995-2001, helping the red, white and blue to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and wins (St. John's in 1999 and UCLA in 1999) as well as a run to the NIT Final Four in 2001... Greer coached both Titan head coach Bacari Alexander and assistant coach Jermaine Jackson while on the staff of legendary head coach Perry Watson... WSU assistant coach E.J. Haralson played for Greer and coach Watson and was a teammate of coach Alexander and Jackson from 1996-98 at Detroit Mercy... Coach Watson was in attendance taking in all the action.
