EAST LANSING, Mich. (12/4/2020) -- Junior guard Antoine Davis scored a game-high 24 points and newcomer Matt Johnson added a career-high 20 and the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team gave No. 8-ranked Michigan State everything it could handle as the Titans fell just short in their upset bid, 83-76, from the Breslin Center on Friday evening.

The Titans and Spartans were tied 35-35 at the halftime break and Detroit Mercy took a 59-54 lead with 10:37 remaining in the game after a Johnson steal turned into a Dwayne Rose Jr. fast-break lay-up. Junior Willy Isiani sank a 3-pointer off a feed from Davis just minutes later as the Titans led 62-58. MSU's Rocket Watts scored the next four points to tie the game and Gabe Brown gave MSU the lead back, 64-62, with 6:35 remaining.

Even with both Isiani and graduate senior Bul Kuol fouling out late in the second half, the Titans didn't go away and pulled to within one, 71-70, after Davis made a pair of jumpers. After MSU upped its advantage to six points, 78-72, Davis and Johnson both converted on a pair of free throws as the Titans again were within one possession, 78-76, with 1:49 left.

That would be as close as Detroit Mercy would get, however, as the Titans missed their final three shots and Michigan State closed out the win on its home court.

Kuol added 12 points in his first game as a Titan and graduate senior Marquell Fraser had 11 points and a game and career-high 12 rebounds in his first contest in the red, white and blue. Isiani had seven points, six rebounds and a career-best five assists. Johnson was 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc, making three treys in the second half, and the Titans were 11-for-11 from the free-throw line in the contest.

Detroit Mercy shot 41.1% in the contest, overall. While the Titans went to the line 11 times, Michigan State went 19-for-23 (82.6%) from the free-throw stripe. Michigan State held the slim edge in rebounding, 40-36. The Titans forced 17 Michigan State turnovers and took care of the ball, turning it over just 12 times as the red, white and blue attempted 13 more shots (73-60) and were just defeated in points in the paint, 36-34. 

The Titans return to the hardwood Sunday for a meeting with Catholic-rival Notre Dame on the road in South Bend, Indiana. The game is set for a 7:00 p.m. (EST) and will be televised live on the ACC Network. Detroit Mercy's first home game of the season follows on Tuesday, Dec. 8, when the Titans host Kent State, also at 7:00 p.m. 

Game Notes:

• The Titans are now 81-33 all-time on opening day, with two years in the early 1900's unknown due to record-keeping
• Detroit Mercy is 16-127 all-time against ranked foes and 3-74 on the road, dropping its last 28 in a row to ranked opponents with their last win a 63-54 victory over #24 Butler at home in 2002
• The last win over a top-10 team was in 1985, a 71-66 home tally of #4 Memphis, while the last top-10 win on the road was a 64-63 triumph at #9 Marquette in 1979
• The Titans are now 30-122 all-time against current members of the Big Ten, with their last win coming during the 1997-98 campaign when the Titans edged the Spartans, 68-65
• Davis now has 45 career 20-point games in just 61 collegiate games and has also scored in double figures in all 61 games - reaching at least 17 points in 50 of them
• Davis finished with three steals after a year in which he tallied a career-high 51 steals, ending the year third in the Horizon League and 87th in the nation with 1.73 steals per game
• Johnson's previous career-high was just 12 points at George Washington last season with St. Bonaventure
• Johnson made just four 3-pointers all of last season
• Fraser's career-high in rebounds was nine against UC Davis last season at Idaho
• Isiani's career-high in assists was 4 against Cleveland State as a freshman