LAS VEGAS, Nev. (11/24/2019) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team used some suffocating second-half defense, and had four players score in double figures to topple the UC Irvine Anteaters, 86-74, in the first game of the MGM Resorts Main Event Middleweight Bracket. 

Sophomore Antoine Davis led the Titans (1-3) with 23 points and recorded six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Graduate senior Brad Calipari knocked in four triples en route to a career-best 16 points with four rebounds. 

Senior Justin Miller tallied 14 points and sophomore Willy Isiani posted 13 points and a career-high seven rebounds. 

The Titan defense held UC Irvine (3-4) to just 30.0 percent shooting in the second half - including 1-of-16 from behind the arc -and 39.3 percent shooting in the game, forcing 12 turnovers. 

The Titans led by as many as 10 on the first half, 44-34, and took a 48-42 advantage into the break. The red, white and blue would then lead the entire second half, opening up as large as a 15-point cushion, 69-54, with 9:25 left.

The Anteaters would cut that to five, 71-66, with 5:11 remaining, but a three by Isiani stopped a UC Irvine spurt and back-to-back 3-pointers by Calipari and Isiani pushed the advantage back to double-digits, 84-70, with 1:27 on the clock.

Sophomore Boe Nguidjol ended with six points, seven rebounds, a block and a steal, while junior Dwayne Rose Jr. had six points. Sophomore Marquis Moore posted four points, four rebounds, three assists and a block and sophomore Chris Brandon had four points.

The Titans shot 41.8 percent for the game and nearly 50.0 percent from three (15-of-32), while knocking down 25-of-30 (83.3%) at the free-throw line. 

Detroit Mercy will finish up its Las Vegas trip with a game against Louisiana Lafayette tomorrow, Nov. 25, in a 4 p.m. (EST) tip. 

First Period:

• The game was tied at 10-10 at 15:38 when Nguidjol came up with a steal and then on the other end got to the basket for a layup and that was followed by an offensive rebound by him and he kicked it out to Davis for three
• Back-to-back 3-pointers by Miller gave the Titans a 25-18 lead with 9:22 left
• After a 12-4 run by UC Irvine had the Titans down by one, Nguidjol hit a three and that was followed by a triple from Calipari for a 35-30 advantage with 6:08 left
• A 7-0 run which started with a three from Davis and included two free throws from Calipari and an offensive rebound and putback by Brandon had the team up 44-34 with 2:44 remaining and the red, white and blue took a 48-42 lead into the break

Second Period:

• Calipari hit back-to-back treys to extend the lead to nine, 53-44, at the 16:45 mark
• UC Irvine got within five, 59-54, with 11:50 on the clock when Davis nailed two-straight 3-pointers to push it to 11, 65-54
• Davis then gave the Titans their largest lead, 69-54, with 9:25 left as he hit four-straight free throws
• The lead was down to five again, 71-66, when Isiani hit another three
•  and later on, a jumper by Davis made it 78-68 with 3:11 remaining
• The Titans put the game away with 3-pointers by Calipari and Isiani for an 84-70 advantage with 1:37 left

Game Notes:

• This was the first career meeting between the two teams
• The 15, 3-pointers are the most since hitting 15 in back-to-back games against Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan last year
• Davis now has 872 career points and it was his 26th career 20-point game
• Calipari now has 29 points in the last two games shooting 9-of-16 from the field and 8-of-15 from behind the arc
• Miller now has 915 career points
• 27 of Isiani's 36 career field goals have been 3-pointers
• It was the fifth career game in Nguidjol's career that he has grabbed at least five rebounds