DETROIT, Mich. – Stevie Elam led the way with 22 points but a 6-for-6 showing from the free throw line in the final minute was enough to help Detroit Mercy hold off the Milwaukee men's basketball team, 91-86, Friday night at Calihan Hall.
 
The Panthers (11-18, 7-11 Horizon League) used a nice scoring run to take control of the game just after intermission, only to see the Titans (13-13, 10-7 Horizon League) respond with one of their own that built enough of a cushion that the visitors could not chase down.
 
"They made the free throws when they needed to," head coach Bart Lundy said. "It was a great game and a great atmosphere … give them credit. At the very end of the first half, I thought they got a little momentum, and we knew coming out in the second half that (Orlando) Lovejoy would try to take the game over and, credit to him, he played a heck of a second half."
 
Elam was a one-man show down the stretch, scoring the final seven MKE points of the contest, including a huge three-point play with 17.9 seconds left where he rebounded a miss and made the putback all in one motion while being fouled, making it a one-possession game at 89-86. The Titans would then tack on two more free throws to ice it and help them escape with the win.
 
Elam scored his 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including four triples, while adding seven rebounds in front of a large contingent of family and friends that made the 90-minute commute from his nearby hometown of Adrian, Michigan.
 
"I think he's a fighter," Lundy said. "He kept coming. Didn't play as well early; had all his people here and had a great second half. He made all those plays down the stretch to keep us close."
 
Chandler Jackson chipped in 13 points off the bench and Amar Augillard finished with 12 points and a pair of steals and blocks.
 
TJ Nadeau paced UDM with 25 points, Orlando Lovejoy added 24 (22 in the second half alone), and Legend Geeter contributed 19 to help the program reach .500 this late in a season for the first time since 2021-22.
 
After a fast-paced first half, the Panthers eventually built their biggest lead of the day at 48-39 just before intermission. Playing from behind early, Elam tied the game at 17-all on a three and Esyah Pippa-White had it knotted at 35-35 as well. Jackson's three from the top of the key put the team ahead, 40-37, capping an 11-2 run. Trailing 35-29 with seven minutes left, the Panthers scored 19 of the final 26 points of the period to take a 48-42 lead into the locker room.
 
Detroit Mercy used a pair of second-half runs to turn momentum, the first a 16-5 spurt that gave it a 55-53 lead and forced a timeout. Augillard responded with five in a row to push MKE back ahead at 60-57 – answered by a 15-2 run that gave the Titans their first double-figure lead at 72-62.
 
"I think that was Lovejoy and Jeeter," Lundy said of the difference in the run. "They picked on matchups and they got Lovejoy to his spots. We tried different matchups and he went at every one that we had."
 
Six unanswered made it a 72-68 affair before the Titans rebuilt the advantage to 78-70 at the 4:56 mark. Elam's three capped an 8-2 spurt to draw MKE back within two at 80-78, but a triple from Nadeau made it 85-79 and was a backbreaker. Despite Elam's heroics, the Titans made all six of their charity stripe tosses the final 57 seconds to wrap up the decision.
 
The MKE offense finished at 50.8 percent (33-of-65) overall on the night, connecting on 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from deep. UDM was at 53.6 percent (30-of-56) overall and made 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from downtown. The biggest difference came at the line, where the home team finished at 80.8 percent (21-of-26) compared to the visitor's 47.4 percent (9-of-19), including under half (7-of-15) after intermission. MKE did eek out the 33-32 advantage on the boards and outscored the opposition, 42-26, in the paint.
 
Up next, the road swing concludes with a stop at Oakland Sunday, tipping off against the Golden Grizzlies at 2 p.m. CT.