LOUISVILLE (11/20/2021) -- Senior Antoine Davis got on track scoring a game-high 27 points and junior Madut Akec tallied his second double-double of the season, but it just wasn't enough as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball fell 73-67 at Louisville on Saturday afternoon.

Davis connected on 10 field goals with six of them from distance to go with three assists and a steal.

Akec posted a career-best 19 points and five steals along with a game-high 10 rebounds, while senior Matt Johnson finished with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. 

The game was tied five times in the first 10 minutes and 11 times in the first half, with six total lead changes. Detroit Mercy trailed by as many as 14 in the game, but was down by just four, 67-63, with four minutes left. That is when Akec got inside for a layup and Davis attacked the rim for a score to knot it at 67-all with 1:39 remaining, but the Cardinals scored the final six points. 

Davis had 12 points in the first half as the Titans (0-4) had a five-point lead at 22-17 midway through the first. Detroit Mercy also led 35-31 with 3:33 left in the opening half when Louisville (3-1) ended the period on an 11-0 run for a 42-35 lead at the break and extended its run to 18-straight for a 49-35 advantage. 

The Cardinals would have a 13-point lead at 53-40 when the Titans went on an 8-0 run, thanks to a basket by Akec and back-to-back triples from Davis to make it a 53-48 game with 11:53 remaining. Louisville upped its lead to double-digits again, 61-51, but six-straight points cut the deficit to four, 61-57, with 7:45 to go and the Titans were also within three at 66-63 with 4:55 on the clock. 

The Titans shot 40.7% for the game with nine triples and forced 15 turnovers, coming away with a season-high 10 steals. The Cardinals also just edged the Titans on the glass, 37-33. 

Senior Prince Oduro had four points and seven rebounds and graduate senior Kevin McAdoo registered four points, four rebounds and two assists. 

Detroit Mercy will be back in action next Saturday, Nov. 27, when the red, white and blue travel to the east coast to face Hofstra.

First Half:

• Davis hit a three to get the Titans on the board
• Akec had back-to-back baskets to knot it at 7-7 and 9-9
• Davis nailed a three to tie it at 13-13 with 12:27 on the clock
• Detroit Mercy took the lead as Akec had a dunk and Davis hit a jumper to make it 17-15 with 11:33 left
• Two free throws from McAdoo and then Johnson connected on a triple and it was 22-17 with 9:47 remaining
• Louisville took a 23-22 lead, but back came the Titans with six-straight points as Akec hit two free throws, Johnson got to the rim for a basket and McAdoo hit a jumper for a 28-23 lead with 6:38 on the clock
• Harvey put the Titans ahead again, 31-28, nailed a triple with five minutes remaining
• Davis then hit back-to-back jumpers and the red, white and blue led 35-31 with 3:33 left
• Louisville ended the first half on an 11-0 run to take a 42-25 lead at the break

Second Half:

• The Cardinals extended their run to 18-0 scoring the first seven points in the period
• Oduro ended the run with a jumper to trim the deficit to 49-37 with 15:30 left
• Johnson would hit a three to make it a 50-40 game with 14:08 showing
• An 8-0 run trim the deficit to just five, 53-48, as Akec went inside for a layup and Davis had back-to-back 3-pointers, the latest with 11:53 on the clock
• Louisville pushed its lead back to double digits, 61-51, but the Titans cut that to four, 61-57, with 7:45 to go
• The Titans had it at four a few times and got even closer as two free throws from Akec had the score at 66-63 with 4:55 remaining
• Detroit Mercy would tie the score at 67-67 as Akec got inside for two and Davis got to the rim for an acrobatic layup with just 1:39 on the scoreboard
• Louisville then ended the game with six-straight points

Game Notes:

• Louisville now leads the all-time series, 6-1
• Detroit Mercy is 20-74 all-time against current teams in the ACC with the last win against an 83-59 victory against Notre Dame in the Motor City in 1993
• Last time the Titans had 15 forced turnovers and 10 steals was last season against Purdue Fort Wayne (18, 12)
• Akec also had a double-double in the season-opener at Wyoming, while his career-high was 15 points at Toledo
• Akec's previous high in steals was two at Memphis last season as a member of USF
• Davis has now connected on a 3-pointer in 82 of his 86 collegiate games and also has 46 career games with four or more triples and 16 with six or more
• Davis passed Green Bay's Keifer Sykes (2,096) and UIC's Cedrick Banks (2,097) for sixth in Horizon League history as he has 2,120 career points, just 199 points in back of Rashad Phillips for fifth, which would also be the school record 
• Davis now has 61 career 20-point games, 20 career 30-point outings and four 40-point contests in just 86 collegiate games and has also scored in double figures in all 86 games - reaching at least 17 points in 68 of them
• Davis saw his current NCAA high streak of 57-straight free throws comes to an end