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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio-- Detroit held on for a gutty, 94-93 overtime win over Austin Peay Wednesday night in the final game of the Progressive CBE Classic Subregional held at the Stroh Center at Bowling Green State University.
It was a game packed with drama and saw a Detroit team fight its way out of a corner to earn a win under tough circumstances. Playing their third game in as many nights and losing senior
Nick Minnerath to injury a night prior, the Titans came out swinging.
Despite playing with an already shortened bench, Detroit ran out to a big early lead and made the plays it needed to down the stretch to take the victory. AP (0-6), who was picked as the favorites in the Ohio Valley Conference, couldn't stop the continual onslaught that Detroit delivered throughout the first half.
It was a furious tempo from the opening tip as both teams shot well to start.
Doug Anderson,
Chase Simon and
Jason Calliste all hit threes in the opening minutes to help Detroit get out to a 16-8 lead just 3:40 in.
Anderson added a conventional three-point play and another triple, fueling an 11-point lead by the first media stoppage. The Titans connected on five of their first six from deep and piled-up a 24-10 advantage quickly.
The offense kept pumping and Detroit led 34-18 with 9:30 left. The lead was built on good shooting (63.2%), a distributed scoring load (Simon and Anderson with nine points, Calliste and
Evan Bruinsma with six) and sharing the basketball (eight assists on 12 field goals).
The half ended as emphatically as it began with
LaMarcus Lowe firing down a dunk to put an exclamation mark on an impressive 20 minutes. The Titans led 50-37 at the break with about as balanced of a scoresheet possible. Anderson, Simon, Lowe and Calliste all had nine points with Bruinsma adding eight and
Ray McCallum with six more at halftime.
Detroit was not only efficient from the field (19-35, 54.3%), but took care of the basketball with just six turnovers with 12 assists.
In the second half, key moments included Simon hitting on a four-point play, swishing a three from in front of his own bench while falling to the floor and later, McCallum hitting a circus shot. The unbelievable shot fell when he scored by falling and bouncing what was to be an alley oop for Anderson. It drifted into the net and all seemed to be going right for the Titans.
But, Austin Peay streamed right back to inch within six at 62-56. Austin Peay's pressure defense helped generate a few turnovers and the lead was pinched to two at 74-72 with five minutes left.
The Titans nearly let the lead trickle away, coming up empty on four straight possessions until
Donavan Foster hit a big running right-handed layup to end the run with 3:39 to play.
After the Governors closed to three and had a chance to tie, Anderson grabbed a big defensive rebound and fed McCallum, who leaked free for a fastbreak jam and a five-point cushion.
Still unfazed, AP completed the comeback with 47 seconds left, hitting a three in the corner to knot the score at 80-apiece. Detroit missed a couple free throw opportunities and the game was in the hands of the Governors with a tie score and 33 seconds left. They played for the final shot and got a good look at the bucket, but it was off the mark and Calliste's desperation heave the other way missed, forcing overtime.
In the extra frame, Bruinsma fought for several big rebounds, including an offensive putback that gave Detroit an 87-84 advantage and 1:35 to play. With the shot clock winding down, McCallum put up a runner in the lane and Anderson two-hand flushed it home for a 90-85 score. AP hit a three and would not go down quietly, making it a two-point game with 20.4 left.
Simon went to the line and scored a few of the biggest points in his Detroit career, the game's circumstances notwithstanding. The senior buried a pair of free throws that not only iced the game, but gave him 1,000 in Titan uniform.
Simon finished with a team-high 20 points while Bruinsma recorded his first career double-double (15 pts, 12 rbs). Anderson added 18, McCallum 12, Calliste 11 and Lowe 10 for the balanced Titan attack.
AP's TyShawn Edmondson scored a game-high 22 points while teammate Melvin Baker delivered 21.
Detroit concludes its swing through the Buckeye State Saturday when it travels to Akron. Tip time with the Zips is slated for 7:00 p.m.
Notes: Bruinsma was named to the CBE Classic Subregional All-Tournament Team ... Simon becomes the 35th Detroit player to reach the 1,000-point plateau in a Titan uniform ... McCallum has scored in double figures in every game this season ... Coach McCallum confirmed at the post-game press conference that senior
Nick Minnerath, who suffered a knee injury Tuesday, will be out for the season.