DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's basketball program tipped off the 2016-17 season on Saturday night with an exhibition contest at Detroit Mercy and shocked the Titans 85-79.
The in-state rivalry will serve as the kickoff of the new "City College Series," a sponsorship formed with Michigan First Credit Union to raise money for DPS with the aid of a basketball game between local academic institutions in the city. All proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to Detroit Public Schools to provide financial assistance for the district's K-5 classrooms with Michigan First contributing a matching donation for all tickets sold.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Wayne State struck first on a jumper from
Clark Bishop (Detroit, Mich. / Renaissance) but Detroit responded, leading 8-4 at the first media timeout at the 15:54 mark.
Ronald Booth (Detroit, Mich. / Consortium) connected from behind the arc at the 12:24 mark to give WSU a 15-12 lead. Following a Bishop triple and a
Marcus Moore (Lansing, Mich. / Waverly) fast break bucket, WSU trailed 21-20 with just over eight minutes to play before halftime. Bishop made a contested lay-up to give WSU a 26-24 advantage.
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Nick Mutebi (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Detroit Jesuit) grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back giving WSU a 31-30 lead at the 3:43 mark. A
George Spencer (Detroit, Mich. / Belleville) steal led to an easy fast break lay-up by Moore, giving WSU a 37-32 advantage with just under two minutes to play in the half. With time expiring, Bishop connected from 30 feet to end the half on a high note. At halftime, WSU led 40-36.
• The strong play continued into the second half as WSU took a 51-42 lead at the 16-minute mark on a three-pointer from Moore. An 8-4 run from the Titans cut WSU's lead to 55-50 and forced head coach
David Greer to take a timeout to slow the rally with 13 minutes left on the clock. At the 10:25 media timeout, WSU held onto a 57-55 lead. The game was tied at 59-59 at the 8:25 mark for the first time since the four-minute mark of the first half. After two free throws from Bishop at the 7:14 mark, the Green & Gold created some breathing room at 63-59.
• Moore connected on two of the three free throws at the 5:34 mark after being fouled on a three-point attempt to give Wayne State a 67-63 lead. Two second-chance points from Spencer gave WSU a 71-65 advantage with 4:19 left in regulation. Spencer continued to power Wayne State, connecting on a triple and jumped the passing lane for a break away dunk to extend the visitors lead to 76-70.
Michael Lewis (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Huron) put a charge into the section of the crowd wearing WSU gear with four straight points to keep the Warriors ahead 80-72. UDM made it interesting down the stretch trimming its deficit to 83-79 after a five-point possession with 24 seconds left to play. Moore converted two of four free throws with under 20 seconds to play to seal the 85-79 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Four Warriors scored in double-digits led by Moore's 22 points and 12 rebounds. Joining Moore were Bishop (16), Booth (14) and Spencer (13).
WORTH NOTING
• Coach Greer spent six seasons on the coaching staff at Detroit and coached current Titans' head coach Bacari Alexander.
• The meeting is the first since the squads played an exhibition game on Nov. 19, 2002, a 73-65 victory for the red, white and blue. During the regular season, the Titans own a 33-13 career record against their Motor City counterparts with the last official match-up taking place on Nov. 20, 2000, a 98-73 win for Detroit.
UP NEXT
• The Warriors will officially begin the season on Nov. 11-12 against Kentucky Wesley Wesleyan and Alderson Broaddus as part of the G-MAC/GLIAC Challenge in Owensboro, Ky.
