CINCINNATI (12/21/2018) -- Freshman Antoine Davis scored a team-high 19 points, graduate student Derrien King added 13 points and a team and career-high eight rebounds as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team  fell to Xavier, 69-55, on Friday night to wrap up non-conference play.

It was the 95th career meeting between the two private, Jesuit institutions that were longtime rivals and former conference foes. Xavier leads the series 52-43 after Friday's contest.

Senior Josh McFolley led the Titans in assists with six and posted a game-high four steals, giving him 172 in his career. He is in fifth place in school history, just three behind Ray McCallum.

Detroit Mercy and Xavier traded baskets for most of the first half, but a 10-0 run gave the Titans' their first lead of the contest, 24-23, with 4:36 remaining until halftime.

Despite taking the loss, the red, white and blue kept things close in their final tuneup before Horizon League play. 

Freshman Chris Brandon and senior Gerald Blackshear Jr. each had six rebounds for the Titans. Four of Brandon's came on the offensive end, as Detroit Mercy edged Xavier 16-12 in offensive rebounds.

The Titans open Horizon League play Friday, Dec. 28 at Youngstown State. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip and can be viewed on ESPN+ or listened to on 910 AM radio.

First Half:

• Graduate student Derrien King scored the Titans' first basket of the contest 1:10 into the first half and kicked off a five minute run in which both teams traded baskets
• Freshman Marquis Moore hit a pair of free throws with 13:06 left and Davis nailed a jumper, giving Detroit Mercy its first scoring run of the game
• Xavier took a 23-14 lead after scoring six consecutive points, but the Titans countered with 10 unanswered points — split evenly between Davis and King — to take their first lead of the night, 24-23
• Detroit Mercy remained in arm's length of Xavier the rest of the way and entered the half trailing 32-26

Second Half:

• Xavier scored the first four points after halftime, but Davis drained a 3-pointer and freshman Harrison Curry lofted in a layup as the Titans trimmed the Musketeers' lead to five, 36-31
• A 7-2 run brought Detroit Mercy right into the thick of things with 14:17 left, as senior Gerald Blackshear Jr. slammed home a dunk, freshman Chris Brandon tipped in a basket and King hit a triple to make it a two-point game, 40-38
• The Musketeers started to pull away around the 10-minute mark with a seven-point lead, but King and Davis kept the Titans in it with a pair of makes from behind the arc
• Xavier pieced together an 11-0 run over the course of three minutes to take a 63-46 advantage with just over four minutes remaining
• Refusing to quit, the Titans answered with a 9-2 run, headlined by five points by senior Josh McFolley, to make it a 10-point game in the closing seconds

• This was the 95th career meeting between these two private, religious institutions that were longtime rivals and former conference rivals as Xavier now leads the all-time series, 52-43
• The 43 wins are the third most in school history against an opponent trailing the 59 wins against Eastern Michigan and 57 versus Loyola Chicago
• Detroit Mercy and Xavier are two of the 28 Jesuit Universities in the United States and just two of the 20 Jesuit programs that are Division I
• After allowing an average of 99 points against Dayton and Toledo, the Titans have limited Ohio and Xavier to just 63 and 69
• The Titans recorded double-digit steals for the second-straight game and third time this season
• King's previous career high in rebounds was seven against Bowling Green earlier this season
• It was King's fifth double-digit scoring effort this season and the 11th in his career
• McFolley's four steals was his 21st career game with three or more steals and he now has 172 in his career, three behind Ray McCallum for fourth place
• McFolley tied his season high for the third time with six assists
• Blackshear Jr. also had eight points in the season opener at Western Michigan
• Darrell Riley Jr. made his Titan debut in the game