CLEVELAND (1/15/2022) -- Senior Antoine Davis poured in a game-high 35 points and the Titans went on a big offensive charge to overcome a deficit and take the lead, but a late run by Cleveland State was enough as the red, white and blue fell, 72-70, at the Wolstein Center on Saturday. 

Davis netted his 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting, 3-of-8 from three and 8-of-9 from the line. He now has 2,375 points and passed former Valparaiso standout Alec Peters for third in Horizon League history, while his three triples gave him 379 in his career, tying him for 31st in NCAA history with former Indiana and UAB star Robert Vaden. 

Graduate senior DJ Harvey tied his season-high with 14 points and added four rebounds and two steals, while junior Madut Akec had 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds with two steals. 

The Titans (5-9, 3-2 HL) had a nine-point lead in the second half and led 59-53 with 7:15 left when Cleveland State (11-4, 7-1 HL) went on an 11-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 64-61 lead. Davis tied it at 64-all with a three and gave the team the lead again, 66-64, off two free throws with 1:41 left.

Harvey hit two free throws to give the Titans a 68-66 lead and a driving layup by Davis had the team in front again at 70-69 with just 31 seconds remaining. Cleveland State was able to get the lead back with a layup with six seconds on the clock and the Titans had two attempts at a tie or go-ahead basket, but a turnover and a long half-court shot prevented the victory.

Junior Noah Waterman had four points and four rebounds and senior Matt Johnson added four points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. 

The game was tied 7-7 early, but CSU went on an 8-0 run for a 15-7 lead and later took a 28-14 advantage with 5:03 left in the first. The Titans then stormed back with a 19-3 run to end the first and kept the run going in the second, extending it to 28-5 and a 42-33 lead with 17:30 remaining.  

Davis started the big run with a free throw and also had two baskets, while Harvey hit five-straight free throws and Akec had an offensive putback at the end of the first to make it 33-30.  Akec began the second half with a dunk, Johnson had a layup and then Davis had a three-point play and two free throws for the nine-point lead.

Davis would keep the Titans' offense going in the second as a three gave the team a 53-47 lead and a jumper at 9:49 had the squad ahead 55-49. 

Detroit Mercy shot 46.2 % overall and 18-of-23 at the line, but was just 4-of-21 (19.0%) from three. The team also forced 18 turnovers and had 10 steals. 

The red, white and blue will stay on the road next week as the Titans visit Green Bay on Jan. 20 and at Milwaukee on Jan. 22

First Half:

• Akec started the game by getting inside for an easy slam and a three by Davis had the Titans up 5-2
• Harvey then tied the score at 7-7 with a jumper at the 15:54 mark
• Cleveland State then went on an 8-0 run for a 15-7 lead with 11:44 left when Harvey nailed another jumper
• Davis connected on a basket to make it a 20-11 game with 8:30 remaining
• A triple from Harvey cut the deficit to 11, 25-14, with 5:40 left
• The Vikings took a 28-14 lead with 5:03 remaining when the Titans ended the half on a 19-3 offensive spurt
• During that run, the defense held CSU to 1-of-4 shooting with 4 turnovers, while the Titans were 5-of-8 from the field and 9-of-10 at the line
• Three free throws by Harvey cut the CSU lead to just eight, 30-22, with 3:09 on the clock
• Two more at the line by Harvey had the Titans within six, 30-24, with 2:44 left as he had 12 points to that point
• Waterman had a jumper and then back-to-back baskets by Davis knotted it at 30-30 with 1:05 to go
• After each team had a free throw, with time winding down, Harvey went for a three, but it was blocked and Akec was able to get control and go inside for a layup and a 33-31 lead at the break

Second Half:

• The run continued to 28-5 for a 42-33 lead at the 17:30 mark
• Akec had a steal and went to the rim for another dunk to start the second
• After a CSU basket, Johnson hit a shot and then Davis hit a jumper and was fouled, connecting on the free throw for a 40-33 lead
• Two more free throws by Davis gave the Titans a 42-33 advantage with 17:34 on the clock
• The Vikings cut the Titans lead to one, 48-47, by a big offensive rebound and putback by Akec had the team up by three with 12 minutes to go
• Davis went inside for a layup and was fouled and he made the free throw as his three-point play had the red, white and blue up 58-52 with 7:59 remaining
• The Titans were up 59-53 at the 7:15 mark, but an 11-2 run by the Vikings over the next five minutes had CSU ahead 64-61 with 2:44 on the clock
• Davis tied the game with a three and would later give the Titans a two-point lead, 66-64, on two free throws with 1:41 to go
• The Titans also had a two=point lead with two free throws from Harvey to make it 68-66 with 1:15 left
• Davis drove the lane and had a free throw to put the team up 69-68 with 31 seconds remaining
• Cleveland State hit a shot with six seconds left and despite two chances to retake the lead in the final six seconds, the Titans were unable to convert

Game Notes:

• The teams have split the last 20 meetings, but the Titans still lead the series, 45-28, but the Vikings now have a 21-14 advantage at home
• The Titans hit a season-low four 3-pointers, their lowest amount since going 4-of-15 against Green Bay in 2020 as the team came in ranking 17th in Division I in 3-point field goals per game (10.2) and 63rd in three-point field-goal percentage (36.5%)
• Davis came into the game averaging 22.7 points on 32.3% overall shooting and 22.0% from three (13-of-59) in his career against Cleveland State, including, 23.0 points connecting on 31-of-86 (36.0%) from the field and 8-of-36 (22.2%) from three in four career games at the Wolstein Center
• Davis came into the game tied for 11th in the nation in free-throw percentage at 91.7% (44-of-48) on the year as he has now hit 113 of his last 120 attempts (94.1%), spanning 29 games
• Davis now has 67 career 20-point games, 23 career 30-point outings and four 40-point contests in just 96 collegiate games and has also scored in double figures in all 96 games tying former Oregon State star Tres Trinkle (2016-20) for sixth place in NCAA history in that category
• Davis has now connected on a 3-pointer in 30-straight games and 92 of his 96 collegiate games
• Akec was in double figures for the 12th time this season
• Harvey also had 14 points against Central Michigan