The Basics
Final Score: Oakland 108, Detroit 97
Records: Detroit 15-14 (9-9 HL), Oakland 21-10 (13-5 HL)
Location: Rochester, Mich. (O'rena)

ROCHESTER, Mich. (2/26/2016) – Junior Chris Jenkins led five Titans in double figures, but the offense was just not enough as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team fell, 108-97, at Oakland on Friday night in a #MetroSeries battle on ESPNU.
 
Jenkins tallied 22 points -- 18 in the second half -- while sophomore Paris Bass added 18 points. Freshman Josh McFolley netted 15 and sophomore Jaleel Hogan totaled 13 points and a team-best eight caroms. Senior Anton Wilson was the fifth in double figures tallying 13 points,  a season-high six assists and five rebounds for the Titans.
 
The loss drops Detroit to 15-14 overall and 9-9 in the Horizon League, which will be the No. 6 seed in the Horizon League Championship next weekend. Detroit plays the winner of Saturday's Northern Kentucky-Youngstown State game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at Joe Louis Arena.

Oakland moves to 21-10, 13-5 in the HL as the Golden Grizzlies will be the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League Championship.

Both teams were on the mark offensively in the second half as Detroit and Oakland combined for 125 points. Detroit trailed at halftime, 44-36, but poured in 61 points in the second half to try and mount a comeback on the road. The Titans shot 52 percent in the second stanza.

Jenkins scored the first five points of the second half to pull the Titans to within three points, 44-41, just 1:48 into the second half. The game would be back-and-forth with Oakland opening a double-digit advantage. Hogan would score eight points in the first eight minutes of the second half -- including six straight -- as Detroit trailed by just six with 13:52 remaining.

Oakland would go up 83-70 with 9:06 left on the clock, but Jenkins then took over, scoring the next nine points, including converting on a four-point play after he was fouled on a made 3-pointer. Jenkins hit two of his three 3-pointers during that stretch, both off assists from McFolley. His ninth-straight point pulled Detroit to within four points, 83-79, with 7:47 remaining.

The Titans would pull to within four points three different times with under eight minutes left, the last when Jenkins converted on another jumper to make it 87-83 with 6:36 to go. Oakland would score the next nine points, however, to open a 96-83 lead.

Detroit cut the deficit to nine points with 4:42 left on a Jarod Williams lay-up, but that was as close as the Titans would get the rest of the way.

For the game, Detroit shot 46.7 percent from the floor – including 52.3 percent in the second half. UDM was 12-of-16 from the free throw line, but was outrebounded in the contest, 43-32. Detroit did have the edge in offensive rebounds, 16-12.

The Titans turned the ball over just seven times in the contest, while doubling up Oakland forcing the Golden Grizzlies into 14 turnovers and turning those into a 24-13 points off turnovers advantage. 

Jenkins was 9-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-7 from downtown. Bass was 7-of-15 from the field for the Titans, including 3-of-3 at the line and McFolley shot 5-of-11. 

The Motor City Madness tournament begins next Friday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Game Notes:
Detroit leads the all-time series, 12-6, but is now 0-4 all-time at the O'Rena… The 205 combined points are the most in the history of Detroit-Oakland… The 84 field goal attempts are the second most on the season behind the 85 at Oral Roberts earlier in the season… The 15 points by McFolley was the most since he had 16 at Youngstown State, a span of six games… It was the seventh career 20-point game for Jenkins and the sixth this season… Bass' streak of 20-point games came to an end at six straight… With Wilson's 13 points, he is now 22 away from 1,000 for his career…