MILWAUKEE – Antoine Davis took over down the stretch, scoring 12 of his game-high 30 points over the final four minutes to help Detroit Mercy overcome a late lead by the Milwaukee men's basketball team and earn a 71-58 victory Saturday afternoon at UWM Panther Arena.
 
Davis, the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year and leading scorer in the NCAA coming into play today at 24.0 points per game, scored 10 points in a 13-0 run that turned a late 54-52 lead by the Panthers (7-13, 5-6 Horizon League) into a comfortable victory by the Titans (6-10, 4-3 Horizon League) over the final minutes of regulation.
 
"Disappointing finish to tonight's game," head coach Pat Baldwin said. "It was not as good as we wanted to finish in a game like this that was close throughout. We have to be better, have to learn how to finish, have to get some stops defensively and then we certainly have to be better on the offensive end."
 
DeAndre Gholston led Milwaukee with 12 points as the only player in double-figures. Tafari Simms and Devon Hancock each added nine, while Vin Baker Jr. contributed eight points and a team-high five rebounds.
 
It was a tale of two halves for the Panthers, who led 39-33 just into the second half before a long cold spell from the floor helped Detroit Back into it. Still ahead at 54-52 on a pair of free throws by Baker Jr., Davis put his team on his back and led them to the victory.
 
"It's disappointing … you want every single win obviously but, when you start thinking about the way we played," Baldwin said. "We wanted to finish better and we were right there. We just didn't finish the way that we needed to in order to get this win."
 
Milwaukee quickly added to a halftime lead with the first five out of the locker room to lead 39-33, but went ice-cold from the field following that advantage. The Panthers went over 11 minutes without a made field goal, seeing free throws and solid defense keep them right where they needed to be.
 
MKE tied the game at 52-52 and then took its final lead at 54-52 with under five minutes to play. From there it was all Davis, starting with a three-pointer to flip the scoreboard in UDM's favor at 55-54. He then proceeded to make a layup and a jumper before assisting on the next Titan three-pointer. His three from the wing on the next possession capped the run at 13-0 and forced a timeout at 65-54. From there, the deficit remained at double-figures the rest of the way.
 
The first half went back-and-forth early, with MKE edging ahead on a three-pointer from Hancock at 18-17 at the 12:26 mark. The Titans made the next push, using an 8-2 spurt to force a timeout before going ahead by as many as six at 28-22. Hancock made a trio from downtown in the first, turning the tide in the closing minutes as the Panthers scored 12 of the final 17 points of the period, taking the 34-33 lead on the final Hancock trifecta in the closing minute.
 
The Panthers connected on just 17.2 percent of their second-half field goals (5-of-29), dragging their game total down to 33.3 percent (19-of-57). They did out-rebound the Titans (36-29), who shot 48.1 percent (25-of-52) on the day.
 
Up next, Milwaukee opens a four-game road trip with a contest at Robert Morris next Thursday. Tip time against the Colonials is set for 6 p.m. CST.