DETROIT (1/16/2021) -- Junior guard Antoine Davis poured in a season-high 30 points and the Titans came back from a 14-point first-half deficit to sweep Green Bay for the first time in nine years as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team edged the Phoenix, 68-65, on Saturday night on Dick Vitale Court at Calihan Hall.

Davis was 10-of-19 from the field and 7-of-11 from 3-point range to go with three rebounds and three assists. It was the sixth time in his career with at least seven 3-pointers and the 16th 30-point game of his career. 

Graduate senior Bul Kuol posted 22 points and six rebounds hitting 6-of-12 from the field and graduate senior Marquell Fraser tallied 10 points, nine boards and four assists. 

The Titans (3-7, 2-4 HL) were down by 14 in the first half, 31-17, as Green Bay's (3-11, 3-7) defense kept the team off-balanced. Detroit Mercy started to climb back in it with an 8-0 run and trailed by just three at the halftime break, 33-30.

In the second half, the red, white and blue finally got the lead on Davis' sixth triple of the game and a free throw by Kuol, which ignited an 11-0 spurt and had the Titans up by seven, 51-44, midway through the period.

Green Bay would go back in front and then the teams went into a bit of a funk offensively, but two free throws from Kuol and then a 3-pointer from redshirt freshman Noah Waterman put the team ahead for good, 62-58, with three minutes left.

Waterman registered a season-high six boards and also had a block, while junior Willy Isiani had three points, two rebounds and two assists and took a big charge late in the contest. 

The Titans shot 46.9% from the field and were 10-of-22 (45.5%) from three, while out-rebounding the Phoenix, 35-31. 

Detroit Mercy will now get ready for four-straight games on the road starting with a trip to rival Oakland next weekend. 

First Half:

• Green Bay had an early 7-3 lead, but Davis hit a three and Fraser got inside for a score to put the Titans up 8-7, five minutes in
• Back-to-back baskets by Kuol put the Titans ahead, 12-10, with 13:18 left
• The Phoenix then went on a 15-2 run to go up by 11, 25-14, with 7:07 left in the half as the Titans went cold from the field missing five-straight shots 
• Davis would end the run with his second triple of the game off a nice pass from Fraser
• The Titans saw Green Bay extend its lead to 14, 31-17, when Davis and Kuol connected on 3-pointers to cut the deficit to eight, 31-23, with 3:51 remaining
• The run went to 8-0 as Fraser pulled downed the defensive rebound and then went down the court for the score to make it 31-25
• After a Green Bay basket, Davis once again nailed one from deep and it was a 33-28 game with 1:32 left in the half
• The defense held the Phoenix scoreless in the last 2:35 and a jumper by Davis with 10 seconds left sent the Titans into the locker room down by just three, 33-30

Second Half:

• Green Bay scored the first four points, but a layup by Fraser and a 3-pointer from Davis cut that to 37-35 with 16:31 left
• Both teams then struggled offensively in the next four minutes as a layup by Fraser had the team down by just four, 41-37, and then off a steal, Davis went to the rim for a basket and was fouled, hitting the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play and making it a 41-40 game with 11:58 remaining
• The Titans would finally take the lead as Kuol connected on a pair of free throws and Davis' sixth three of the game gave the red, white and blue a 45-44 lead at 10:45
• That started an 11-0 run as Isiani knocked down a trey and Davis then made his seventh from downtown for a 51-44 advantage with 9:44 on the clock
• Green Bay came back to jump ahead and the lead went back and forth a few times as two free throws by Kuol had the Titans up 55-54 with 5:50 left
• Kuol also gave the Titans the lead with a layup at 57-56 and then two free throws to make it 59-58 with 4:10 to go
• Detroit Mercy upped its advantage to four, 62-58, with 3:04 left as redshirt freshman Noah Waterman nailed a 3-pointer
• Green Bay was able to make it a one-point game at 64-63 with just over a minute to go, but Kuol drove to the basket for a score and the Titans added free throws down the stretch for the win

Game Notes

• Detroit Mercy now trails the all-time series, 34-28, and are 16-13 against the Phoenix in Calihan Hall
• The last time the Titans swept Green Bay was during the 2011-12 season, while the last sweep in the conference overall was Milwaukee last year
• The 14-point comeback was the biggest since overcoming a 17-point deficit at home against Milwaukee last season
• With his 30 points, Davis now has 1,703 points and moved past Green Bay's Rahmon Fletcher (1,678) and Alex Brown (1,678), Evansville's Scott Haffner (1,686) and Wright State's Vernard Hollis (1,700) for 41st place in Horizon League history
• Davis now has 261 career 3-pointers, second in school history to Rashad Phillips' 348 and 10th in Horizon League history
• Kuol has now been in double figures in seven-straight games and it was his third career 20-point game, all for Detroit Mercy
• Fraser was back in double figures for the first time in four games, since he had 10 against Wright State