DETROIT (12/23/2016) -- Freshman
Corey Allen was on fire all night long scoring a career-high 33 points – 27 in the second half – and nailing nine 3-pointers as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team fell, 93-86, to Fort Wayne on Thursday inside historic Calihan Hall.
Allen was 11-of-17 from the field and 9-of-13 from behind the arc and also handed out a career-high five assists.
Senior
Chris Jenkins tallied a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds and sophomore
Josh McFolley posted 18 points and a career-best nine assists with three steals.
As a team, the Titans were 15-of-30 from three-point territory.
The Titans (2-10) were down by 15 at the half and 55-40 early in the second when they started to mount a comeback, and it was the three ball working for them. Allen nailed back-to-back trifectas and then with the clock winding down, Jenkins found the bottom of the net and Detroit Mercy trailed 56-51 with 16:30 left.
Fort Wayne (10-3) held off that charge and ran its lead back to nine, 62-53, but the Titans scored seven straight with Allen leading the spurt with another pair of 3-pointers, his last getting the home team within two, 62-60, with just under 13 minutes remaining.
The Titans got even closer as Allen later went back-to-back again with triples to make it a one-point contest, 71-70, with 6:49 left.
Fort Wayne would push the deficit to eight, 80-72, but the red, white and blue tried one more time to rally. The Titans made it a one-possession game at 80-77 as Allen sank two free throws and then found freshman
Malik Eichler, who put one down from distance at the 3:45 mark. That was as close as Detroit Mercy got as the Mastodons were able to come away with the win.
Junior
Jaleel Hogan had 11 points in 13 minutes of court time. Eichler had three points and three rebounds, while freshman
Cole Long registered four points, two rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Detroit Mercy shot 46.8-percent from the field, including 55.6-percent (15-of-27) in the second half. The Titans also recorded a season-high 18 assists on their 29 field goals.
The Titans got off to a torrid pace as McFolley hit a three to begin the contest and then had a six-point lead at 14-8 off another trey from McFolley and back-to-back baskets from Long and sophomore
Gerald Blackshear Jr.
Detroit Mercy continued to extend its lead, this time to 10, off an offensive rebound and tip-in from Jenkins at the 13:57 mark. The Titans would increase that margin to 11 points on three occasions, the latest at 30-19, as McFolley fed Hogan and the forward laid it in with 12:29 remaining in the first.
Most of that lead was built from the outside as Detroit Mercy was 11-of-18 from the field and 5-of-6 from behind the arc.
Fort Wayne, though, would go on a 32-6 run after that and take a 53-38 lead at the break.
The Titans will now move into the Horizon League portion of their schedule as they host Northern Kentucky next Thursday, Dec. 29, inside Calihan Hall. The game is part of a basketball doubleheader with the women hosting Valparaiso at 5 p.m., and the men's contest slated to start at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets to all home games start at just $10, $6 for children and seniors. To purchase tickets online, visit
detroittitans.com/tix. To purchase over the phone or for more information on game and season tickets, contact Director of Ticket Operations & Sales
Justin Hairston at 313-993-1700 ext. 7301 or at
hairstjj1@udmercy.edu.
Game Notes:
This was the first career meeting between Detroit Mercy and Fort Wayne, despite the fact the schools are only 170 miles apart… Detroit Mercy is 14-11 all-time against current members of the Summit League… The Titans 15, 3-pointers are the most since connecting on a school-record 18 against Milwaukee on Feb. 26, 2000… After going 3-of-30 from three on the road at Toledo and Bowling Green, the Titans are now 27-of-50 in their last two games...
Matthew Grant made his season debut… Detroit Mercy's previous season high for assists was 17 in the season opener against Adrian… The last time the Titans had 18 assists was against Youngstown State last season at home… Allen's 33 points are the most since
Anton Wilson '16 had 34 against Youngstown State at home last year, and Wilson was in attendance today… Allen's nine 3-pointers were the most since Desmond Ferguson had 10 in that game against Milwaukee… Jenkins tallied his second double-double of the season and sixth of his career with all six against non-conference foes… Jenkins is averaging 10.0 rebounds in the last four games… McFolley has 17 assists in the last two games with back-to-back career highs… McFolley has 12 steals in the last four games…
