ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (1/13/2017) -- Junior Jaleel Hogan powered his way to a career-high 39 points and 11 rebounds and the Titan defense forced 25 turnovers as the University of Detroit Mercy came from behind to defeat Metro Series rival Oakland, 93-88, on Friday night.
 
It was the first-ever win for the Titans at the O'rena as Detroit Mercy came into the game 0-4.
 
Hogan was a career-best 17-of-24 from the field and 5-of-6 at the free throw line. His 39 points were the most by a Titan since Willie Green had 41 against Wright State in 2003 and the second most by a player in the HL this season as Cameron Morse had 40 for Youngstown State at Toledo.
 
Freshman Corey Allen had 17 points and tied his season high with five rebounds. Sophomore Josh McFolley netted 11 points with three assists and three steals and senior Chris Jenkins totaled 10 points and five boards.
 
Detroit Mercy (3-14, 1-4 HL) was down by as many as 12, 21-9, in the first half and trailed by nine at the break, 51-42, when the red, white and blue kept chipping away at the deficit. The Titans kept getting within 3-4 points, but Oakland responded every time to make it a two-possession game.
 
The Titans were down by five, 73-68, when they scored five straight to knot things up, the last off a Hogan bucket inside.
 
Oakland (14-4, 4-1 HL) did regain the lead after that, but never led by more than three as the Titans were always in striking distance and they would take a one-point lead, 78-77, with 4:58 remaining as Hogan put in another basket down low and junior DeShawndre Black connected on two free throws.
 
The Golden Grizzlies were ahead by one, 83-82, with 2:38 left when the Titans surged ahead for good. It started with a basket from Jenkins and then Black was able to knock down a jumper for an 86-83 advantage.
 
The lead was trimmed to one, 86-85, with just 1:26 on the clock, but the defense did its job holding Oakland to just one free throw in the next minute. McFolley would then ice the game going 4-of-4 at the charity stripe the rest of the way.
 
Black finished with seven points, three rebounds and a season and game-high eight assists. Senior Jarod Williams had eight points and a career-high four steals and sophomore Gerald Blackshear Jr. collected six boards.
 
The Titans shot 46.6 percent (34-of-73) and were 22-of-27 (81.5%) at the free throw line. Detroit Mercy also tied its season high recording 12 steals for the second-straight game.
 
The defense limited Oakland to 6-of-26 (23.1%) from the outside and the Titans held their ground on the glass with a slim 38-36 deficit.
 
It was an entertaining first half as both teams went on runs. Oakland took a 21-9 lead at the 13:10 mark, but the Titans responded with a 17-1 charge over the next four minutes to take the lead.
 
The Titan defense forced several turnovers and held the Golden Grizzlies without a field goal during that spurt. Hogan and Jenkins provided the offense to get the run going and the Titans took a 26-22 lead off a layup by Blackshear Jr., and a three from Allen.
 
Oakland would take that hit though and regain a double-digit lead, but Hogan ended the stanza with a mighty dunk and the Titans trailed, 51-42.
 
Hogan led all scorers with 14 points at the break and the Titans forced 11 turnovers, turning those into 13 points.
 
The Titans will be back in action on Monday, Jan. 16, as Detroit Mercy hosts a basketball doubleheader. The women will take on Northern Kentucky at 4:30 p.m., with the men hosting Youngstown State at 7 p.m.
 
Tickets to all Titan 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 tickets, contact Director of Ticket Operations & Sales Justin Hairston at 313-993-1700 ext. 7301 or at hairstjj1@udmercy.edu.
 
Game Notes:
Detroit Mercy leads the overall series, 13-6… The Titans ended a five-game slide to Oakland… Head coach Bacari Alexander '99 and assistant coach Jermaine Jackson '99 were part of a team that defeated Oakland 110-61 in 1998… The 25 turnovers forced were the most by the Titans since turning Milwaukee over 25 times in a 58-57 win in 2012…  The 22 free throws by Detroit Mercy was a season high… The Titans' 34 field goals were the most since knocking in 34 against Adrian in the season opener… Hogan had 20 points at Oakland last year… It was the third career double-double for Hogan… Black's season high for assists was seven against Manhattan and the Titan high for 2016-17 is nine by McFolley against Fort Wayne…   





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