DETROIT -- In a game that saw a combined 51 personal fouls and 57 free throw attempts, the Wayne State University men's basketball team knocked off Division I Detroit Mercy 82-75 in an exhibition victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Wayne State opened the game with a 7-0 run and nine of the first 12 points through the initial three minutes and change. Three players broke into the scoring column in that span, including
Jalen Jenkins (Belleville, Mich. [Macomb C.C]) with five points,
JaKobie Boose (Flint, Mich. / Hamady) with two and
Marshall Thorn (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth [Schoolcraft C.C.]) with two.
Thanks to 10 of the ensuing 16 points, Detroit Mercy battled back to within two of the visitors, 15-13, with 13 minutes to play until halftime.
The Warriors punched right back though with an 15-2 outburst that lasted over six-and-a-half minutes. That spurt pushed their lead to 15 at 30-15 with 6:27 on the clock. In that period alone, the Titans turned the ball over five times, the Green and Gold missed just one field goal attempts (6-of-7) and four scorers got in on the action.
That quartet included
Adam Ayrault (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North) with seven points, Jenkins with three,
Jimmy Miller (Schoolcraft, Mich.) with three, and
Da'ron Mason (Pontiac, Mich. / Bloomfield Hills) with a pair.
From there until the final buzzer of the half, the back-and-forth was much more balanced, 14-13 in favor of the home team. Heading into the locker room, WSU enjoyed a 14-point lead, 43-29.
Wayne State shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) to Detroit Mercy's 38.5 percent (10-of-26). The Warriors cashed in on six of their 13 three-point attempts (46.2 percent) while the Titans were just 1-of-10 (10 percent) from behind the arc. Both teams gave the ball away 10 times, but WSU dished out just as many assists to UDM's four and won the rebounding battle by seven, 19-12.
Second Half
Detroit Mercy won the second half by seven points, 46-39, and upped its field goal efficiency by 10 percent to 48.2 (13-of-27), including 40 (4-of-10) from long range.
After leading by 14 at the intermission, Wayne State's advantage grew to as large as 17 (63-46) in the second half. That score came at the 10:25 juncture before the hosts began to mount a comeback.
The closest the Titans could get to the Warriors was six points, 80-74, but no closer prior to the final seven-point margin.
TEAM STATS
Wayne State finished at 49.1 percent (28-of-57) to Detroit Mercy's 43.4 percent (23-of-53). The Warriors shot 36 percent (9-of-25) from three and 65.4 percent (17-of-26) at the free throw line. The Titans' 40-minute totals included 25 percent (5-of-20) from behind the arc and 77.4 percent (24-of-31) at the charity stripe. WSU won the glass by three (34-31) with 18 assists to 16 turnovers. UDM's assist-to-turnover tally concluded at 12-to-18. Nine of the home team's 12 giveaways came on Green and Gold steals. Wayne State's bench outscored Detroit Mercy's 34-24 and the good guys had the upper hand in fast-break points, 13-5.
LEADING THE WARRIORS
Jenkins paced all scorers with 23 points while stuffing the stat sheet with seven assists, six rebounds and five steals. The junior shot 7-of-11 from the field including 4-of-5 from deep. He was one of four Warriors to score in double-figures, including Ayrault with 12,
Daquan Coleman (Flint, Mich. / Burton Bendle [SC4/Salem University]) with 12 (4-of-9 3FG) and Miller with 11. Boose, like Jenkins, brought down six boards and Thorn blocked a pair of shot attempts.
LEADING THE TITANS
Detroit Mercy's three scorers with double-digits included Tyler Spratt (20), Lance Stone (13) and London Maiden (13). Spratt secured eight rebounds and Stone dished out five assists. Defensively, Xavier Istomin-Monroe stuffed two field goal attempts and Stone swiped a pair of steals.
UP NEXT
Wayne State will open its 2026-27 regular season at home against Walsh on Monday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. inside the WSU Fieldhouse.
