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DETROIT-  Chase Simon had 20 points, part of four Titans in double figures as Detroit defeated UIC, 77-63 Thursday night at Calihan Hall.  The Titans returned to .500 with the win, both overall and in Horizon League play.

Detroit (12-12, 6-6) got a huge contribution from LaMarcus Lowe, who was making his third start of the season.  The 6-foot-11 center scored six points and had five rebounds but made his presence known underneath, blocking six shots.  Ray McCallum posted his second career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists.

It was a close game throughout with nine ties and five lead changes until a 10-1 Titan run midway through the second half helped Detroit get out to a 12-point lead.  The win was punctuated with a two-hand alley-oop finish from Nick Minnerath and later a lay-up by McCallum to put the game out of reach.

UIC (6-17, 1-10) connected on its first six shots to start the game but Detroit dodged the punches by forcing turnovers.  By the end of the night, the Flames would turn the ball over 20 times and Detroit held UIC to just 31.4 percent shooting in the second half after UIC blistered the nets to the tune of 60.9 percent in the opening stanza.

Lowe got the start against UIC after one of his best games nearly a month ago in the first meeting of the teams.  In that contest, Lowe had 11 points, six blocks and five rebounds.  He was equally as effective Thursday, swatting three balls in successive trips early in the second half to set the tone defensively for Detroit.

It was a team effort as Detroit's 18 assists tied a season best, 10 coming from McCallum to also tie a career high.  The Titans were effective on the break, outscoring the Flames, 18-4 in fast-break points.

UIC was led by Robo Kreps' 25-point effort while Paul Carter and Darrin Williams each added 10 for the Flames.

The Titans will continue their quick three-game homestand on Saturday, hosting Loyola for a 2:00 p.m. tip.  The game is the "Horizon League Game of the Week" and will be televised in HL media markets.  WADL-38 will carry the game in Detroit.

Notes:  Detroit's other 18-assist game came in an 84-82 triple-overtime win over Albany on Nov. 26 ... Lowe now has eight games with four blocks or more on the season and has 15 in his last three games ... He moved into a tie for fifth-place in the school's single-season record book for blocks (65).