DETROIT (12/9/2017) -- Sophomore
Corey Allen posted his second 30-point game of the season with a game-high 32 points and senior
Jaleel Hogan recorded a double-double, but a second-half comeback by Western Michigan saw the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team fall, 87-79, on Saturday at Calihan Hall.
The game featured the handing out of the first-ever Titan Reggie Spirit Of Detroit Mercy Award, which went to legendary baseball coach and his collegiate coach at Detroit Bob Miller. There was also a pregame and halftime ceremony honoring Titan baseball.
Allen was 12-of-20 from the field with five 3-pointers. Hogan tallied a season-high 16 points on 5-of-7 from the field and 6-of-8 at the line along with a season-best 10 rebounds. Senior
DeShawndre Black had six points and six rebounds and redshirt junior
Kameron Chatman ended with six points and five boards.
The Titans (4-6) outrebounded Western Michigan (6-4) 39-34 and shot 41.3 percent from the field with 10 triples and were 17-of-20 (85.0%) at the free throw line.
Detroit Mercy led for much of the first half and by as many as eight in the opening 20 minutes before taking a 41-36 lead at the break.
Western Michigan started the second half on a 25-10 run to take the lead by as many as nine, but the Titans fought back, cutting the deficit to just one on a couple of occasions, but just could not come back all the way.
Junior
Josh McFolley ended with seven points and freshman
Jermaine Jackson Jr., had six points, two assists and two steals.
The Titans will now hit finals week as they get ready for a showdown with Michigan next Saturday, Dec. 16, at the brand new Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit. Game time is set for Noon and will be part of the Hitachi Basketball Showcase as Oakland will play Michigan State at 2:30 p.m.
First Half:
- Hogan scored the first basket of the game and later on, Allen's first three of the contest had the Titans up 7-4.
- A couple of more 3-pointers from Allen then had Detroit Mercy ahead, 15-12, just five minutes into the game.
- The Titans stretched their lead to eight, 24-16, at the 11:23 mark as Ballantyne rebounded the ball and hit Jackson Jr., who found Black in the corner and he nailed a triple.
- Later on in the half, Chatman grabbed a defensive rebound and his long pass found Jackson Jr., who then located Black and his trifecta had the red, white and blue up 33-25 with 5:56 left.
- WMU cut the lead to four, 35-31, but a pair of free throws from Hogan and Ballantyne pushed the lead back to eight, 39-31, with 2:04 remaining.
- Detroit Mercy went into the half up 41-36 as Allen had 13 points and Hogan registered 10 points and eight rebounds.
Second Half:
- The Titans increased their lead back to eight, 44-36, as McFolley hit a three to start the second half, but WMU then outscored the red, white and blue, 25-8, over the next seven minutes.
- The Titans were down by nine, 63-54, with 11:56 left when they began to chip away.
- Allen had a three-point play at one point and then after a WMU free throw, Jackson Jr. connected on a triple to make it a four-point game, 64-60, with 9:15 remaining.
- After a WMU field goal, another three-point play by Allen had the Titans within one possession and off an offensive rebound and putback by junior Gerald Blackshear Jr., Detroit Mercy was down by just one, 66-65, with 7:46 left.
- The Titans were also down by one at 69-68 as Allen knocked in another 3-pointer at the 6:51 mark, but they could never get the lead back.
Game Notes:
- The Titans lead the all-time series, 26-25
- Detroit Mercy came into the game second in the Horizon League and 31st in the country in free throw percentage at 76.9 percent
- The Titans outrebounded an opponent for the third time this season (UM-Dearborn, Siena Heights)
- Titan head coach Bacari Alexander '99 was an assistant coach at Western Michigan under Steve Hawkins from 2008-10
- It was Allen's second 30-point game this season and the third of his career as he had 39 points against Houston Baptist a few weeks ago and 33 against Fort Wayne last season
- It was Hogan's eighth career double-double and the first this season
- Hogan passed Eli Holman '12 for 37th in school history with 1,038 points, and is now chasing Larry Salci '68 who has 1,059
- McFolley now has 130 career 3-pointers and Allen joined him at the 100 mark as his five in the game give him 103 in his career
