Northwest Wayne News

Wayne State University's men's basketball team secured a narrow victory over Detroit Mercy in an exhibition game held at Calihan Hall on Monday night. The final score was 56-54, with the Titans missing a last-second three-point attempt that could have changed the outcome.

The game began with Wayne State taking an early lead through a 10-2 run, highlighted by contributions from Tamario Adley, Kareem Aburashed, and Ray Williams Jr. Detroit Mercy responded with a 13-4 run to claim their first lead of the match. The first half saw six lead changes before Wayne State edged ahead 25-24 at halftime.

In the second half, Jared Lary of Detroit Mercy scored quickly to regain the lead for his team. However, Wayne State's Rob Lee Jr. hit two crucial three-pointers to swing the advantage back to his side. Both teams continued to battle closely, neither managing to pull away significantly.

A pivotal moment came when Williams Jr. executed a tomahawk dunk with just over two minutes remaining, putting Wayne State ahead by three points. Orlando Lovejoy of Detroit Mercy narrowed the gap shortly after, but both teams struggled to score in the final moments. Williams Jr.'s free throw extended Wayne State's lead to two points as time ran out on Detroit Mercy's final attempt.

Statistically, both teams had difficulties shooting from the field and beyond the arc. Wayne State managed a shooting percentage of 33 percent compared to Detroit Mercy's 33.8 percent. From three-point range, they shot 23 percent and 17 percent respectively. Wayne State was slightly more effective from the free-throw line and capitalized on second-chance opportunities despite losing the rebounding contest.

Ray Williams Jr. and Tamario Adley led Wayne State in scoring with 13 points each, while Mak Manciel and Nate Johnson were top scorers for Detroit Mercy with 13 and 11 points respectively.

Wayne State will begin its regular season against Lincoln (Mo.) on November 8th.