DETROIT (1/5/2020) -- Sophomore Antoine Davis had 24 points, senior Justin Miller posted a double-double and the Titan defense played tough all game long, but it was just not enough as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team fell to Wright State, 70-69, On Sunday afternoon in Calihan Hall.

Wright State (14-3, 4-0 HL) was voted the favorite to win the Horizon League in the preseason coaches poll.

Davis also had six assists, three rebounds and two steals, while Miller finished with 14 points and a team-high 12 boards. Sophomore Chris Brandon had eight points, six rebounds and a career-tying four blocks and junior Dwayne Rose Jr. added eight points off the bench.

Detroit Mercy (3-13, 1-2 HL) led 69-63 late, but the Raiders ended the game on a 7-0 run in the last 2:20 to get the win. 

The Titans led 69-63 late as junior Dwayne Rose Jr. rebound and put back off of a Davis miss gave the Titans the lead at 66-63. On the ensuing possession, Davis found sophomore Marquis Moore in the corner for a three that extended the Detroit Mercy lead to six points, 69-63, its their largest lead of the game. 

The game was tied five times early on when Wright State went on a run to go up[ by six, 25-19, with under 12 minutes to go in the first. Detroit Mercy would counter with a 16-5 spurt to go up by five and led at the break by one, 43-42.

In the second half, Wright State again took a six-point lead at 52-46, three minutes in, but the red, white and blue fought back with a 13-2 run and led 59-54 sat the 8:26 mark. 

Wright State then came back for a 63-62 lead with 5:27 left, but Miller and Rose Jr.'s back-to-back basket and a triple by Moore gave the team that six-point advantage late.

The Titans shot 48.3 percent for the game with seven 3-pointers and they also held their own on the boards with a slim 41-39 disadvantage. 

Moore had six points and five rebounds and sophomore Willy Isiani chipped in with five points and three boards

The Titans looked like they would get away with a win, but WSI nailed a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left and the Titans could not get the game-winning shot after that.

The Titans will head back out on the road to square off against Cleveland State on Thursday, Jan. 9, in a 7 p.m. start.

First Period: 

• Miller's hook shot in the lane started the scoring run for the Titans 3-2
• Davis went down the court and knocked down an easy two at 17:37, followed by the next play where he finds an open Alonde LeGrand for a layup to notch the score even at 6-6
• A Davis pass to Brandon for a two-handed jam gave the Titans their first lead of the ball game 10-9 at the 15:46 mark
• After the first of several Davis treys at 15:17, the next possession Davis hits the opposing defender with a juke and a feint on the way to the goal for an easy layup
• A subsequent Miller three-ball would see the Titans lead go to three 18:15 with 13:51 remaining. 
• At 9:13, Davis hits his third three in a row and third of the first half to cut their then deficit to 30-29 in favor of Wright State. 
• Before the media timeout, the Titans would embark on a 9-2 scoring run for several minutes prior to the 7:31 mark in the first half, locking down Wright State and holding them scoreless for two minutes out of that stretch
• A couple of baskets from Rose Jr. would see the Titans up five, 35-30, with 6:37 remaining
• Miller drew the double team and found a cutting LeGrand back door along the baseline for an easy dunk that saw them down just two with 2:20 left in the first half 39-37
• After shaking several Raider defenders, Davis waltzed his way to the cup for a layup to extend the lead to 43-37
• A Wright State three-pointer at the buzzer would end the first half with the Titans up by one point 43-42

Second Period: 

• A Miller jump shot at 17:30 started the scoring for the Titans in the second half 46-45 Raiders. 
• At 12:14, Davis would hit a three on a pass from Moore that would see the two teams tied at 54-all
• At the 6:15 mark, a Wright State foul put Detroit Mercy in the bonus for the rest of the game
• A few plays later, at 6:03, Miller draws contact inside and split a pair to make the score 62-59 Titans
• A rebound by Rose off of a Davis miss leads to the stick back and a 66-63 lead for Detroit Mercy
• On the ensuing possession, Davis finds Marquis Moore in the corner for a three-ball to extend the Titans lead to six for the second time today 69-63 with just under a couple minutes left in the contest
• Wright State then ended the game on a 7-0 run in the final 2:20

Game Notes:

• The Titans split the season series last year with Wright State, winning at home, as the Raiders now lead the all-time series, 33-27
• Davis came into the game second in the country and leading the Horizon League in scoring at 25.0 points per game, just behind Marquette's Markus Howard's 25.6 ppg. 
• Davis now has 12 games on the season with 20 or more points and 35 career 20-point games in just 45 collegiate contests
• Brandon came into the game second in the Horizon League with 1.27 blocks per game and 19 total swats on the year
• Miller has been in double figures in scoring in three-straight games and five of the last six contests
• Miller now has nine career double-doubles
• Brandon also had four blocks at #1 Gonzaga