DETROIT (12/31/2022) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team made two big comebacks, but just couldn't finish it off as the Titans fell to Milwaukee, 84-81, on New Year's Eve on Saturday.

Detroit Mercy (6-9, 2-2 HL) - who once trailed by as many as 15 in the first half and 12 with seven minutes left - had a five-point lead in the second half. Milwaukee (9-5, 3-1 HL) would jump back in front and led by 12 until another late Titan run trimmed the deficit to just three, 84-81, with 20 seconds on the clock.

The Titans then had two chances at a game-tying three, but both shots did not fall. 

Graduate senior Antoine Davis recorded a game-high 31 points going 10-of-23 from the field and 6-of-10 from three. He now has 3,103 career points, 492 career triples and 1,038 total field goals as he passed former Navy standout and NBA Hall-Of-Famer David Robinson (1983-87 - 1,032) for 19th in NCAA history in that category. 

Junior Jayden Stone scored 16 points and graduate senior TJ Moss ended with a season-high 12 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.

Milwaukee started the game with eight-straight points and claimed a 10-point advantage, 15-5, just five minutes in. The Panthers would up their lead to 26-12 at the 11:03 mark and 31-16 with 8:55 on the clock.

Detroit Mercy started to chip away as Stone hit two free throws and Davis hit a jumper, but Milwaukee still led, 36-22, with 6:49 left. That is when the Titans ended the half on a 20-8 spurt, starting with back-to-back 3-pointers from Davis. Another Davis three would get the team within eight, 39-31, and then he banged in another to make it a five-point contest, 39-34, with 3:50 remaining.

A pair of free throws from Davis and Moss cut it to 42-38, and then the Titans scored the last four points in the stanza on a layup from freshman Marcus Tankersley and off a steal from the rookie, graduate senior Damezi Anderson beat the clock as time expired for a 44-42 game at the half. 

The Titans kept up the intensity to start the second half as a three by Stone and a dunk from Moss had the red, white and blue up 57-52 with 14:13 left. Milwaukee came back to take the lead, but a three from junior Kyle LeGreair put the Titans ahead, 60-59, with 11:03 remaining.

The Panthers then went on a 16-3 charge to take a 12-point lead, 75-63, at 6:41, but the Titans did not quit. Davis started another comeback attempt with a three and graduate senior A.J. Oliver followed with a bucket. Later on, another trifecta from Davis made it a four-point game at 77-73 with 3:49 left. A couple of minutes later, Moss scored inside and with 53 ticks remaining, Oliver came up with a steal and a slam to pull the team within three, 84-81, but that is how it ended. 

Senior Gerald Liddell registered five points and five rebounds and Anderson had five points and four boards. Oliver posted six points and three rebounds and LeGreair had four points, two rebounds and two assists. 

The Titans shot 43.3% from the field and were 11-of-30 from three and 12-of-15 at the free-throw line. Detroit Mercy won the glass, 35-34, with 12 more offensive rebounds and forced 10 turnovers. 

The Titans will be back in action next Friday, Jan. 6, as the red, white and blue visit Wright State in a nationally-televised contest on ESPN2. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. on #HLMBBonESPN "Anything Can Happen". 

Game Notes:

• The Titans' six-game winning streak over Milwaukee came to an end as the Panthers now lead the all-time series, 30-29
• The Titans were on a five-game winning streak at home, but have still won 20 of their last 22 overall in Calihan Hall and 14 of the last 16 against Horizon League foes, with two of those in the Horizon League Championship first round
• The red, white and blue have connected on double-digit triples in 10 games on the year, with a season-high 17 at Charlotte, one shy of the school record
• The eight turnovers were a season-low to Division I teams as the Titans had five against Rochester in the opener
• Detroit Mercy has outrebounded its opponents in six of the last seven games and nine times on the season 
• Davis now has 3,103 career points, seventh in NCAA history, 47 behind
• Doug McDermott (Creighton, 2010-14 - 3,150) for sixth place and 564 away from Pete Maravich's NCAA record 3,667
• Davis now has 89 career 20-point games, 29 career 30-point outings and four 40-point contests in 126 games - reaching 17 points in 112 of them as he has a league-best 12, 20-point and three 30-point outings on the year
• Davis has made a three in 121 of his 126 collegiate games, with 69 career games with four or more triples, 25 with six or more, 11 games with seven or more, and has four ties connected on 10 in his career, tying a school record as well as breaking a conference tournament record
• Davis' 492 career 3-pointers are 12 away from Oakland's Travis Bader for second and 17 in back of Fletcher Magee's NCAA-record 509
• Davis now has 535 career free throws, six away from Rashad Phillips' school record of 541
• Moss' previous season-high in points was nine at home against Charlotte, while his career-high is 17 at TCU in 2021 as a member of South Carolina
• Moss has now handed out at least three assists in four-straight games and eight times on the season
• Stone was in double figures for the fifth time this year and the first time since netting 20 at Washington State
• Liddell saw his streak of seven-straight double-doubles snapped
• LeGreair hit a 3-pointer for the second time in his career as he had one against Wright State last season

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