INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team struggled to score out of the gates and was unable to climb back in the contest as the Jaguars fell to Detroit Mercy at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Thursday night (Dec. 2), 69-45. Madut Akec had 20 points and seven boards for the Titans and Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Antoine Davis finished with 19 points, 10 assists and four boards for the victors. 

B.J. Maxwell was the lone IUPUI (1-6, 0-1 HL) player to finish in double-digits, tallying 10 points in the loss, all after halftime. 

The guests scored the game's first 11 points on three threes and a fast break dunk to seize control early. The Jaguars didn't tally a field goal until Bobby Harvey drained a corner three at the 13:45 mark, cutting the Titans' lead back to 10. Any thoughts of getting in the game in the opening half faded away in a bevy of turnovers and missed shots as IUPUI was limited to just 12 first half points on 4-of-22 (18.2 percent) shooting. 

Meanwhile, Davis knifed his way through the Jaguars defense as a distributor in the opening stanza, delivering eight first half assists, including a lob at the final horn to make it 38-12 at the break. 

While IUPUI was more engaged and enthused in the second half, the only suspense was the final margin as the Jags never got the lead under 20 after the break. The Jaguars got a rare five-point possession early in the half when Boston Stanton III stroked a three while Jonah Carrasco was fouled on the inside following the make. After the media timeout, Carrasco got free underneath on a KJ Pruitt assist for an easy layup. 

Davis made four of his seven second half three-point attempts and tallied 12 of his 19 after the break. 

Stanton, Harvey and Pruitt all finished with six points each as IUPUI shot 44 percent from the floor and 44 percent from three-point range in the second half. Sophomore Bakari LaStrap added four assists off the IUPUI bench as the Jaguars' reserves outscored Detroit Mercy's 18-9. 

However, the Titans cashed in on 21 IUPUI turnovers and converted them into 22 points and outscored the Jaguars 26-16 in the paint. 

IUPUI will continue the homestand on Saturday (Dec. 4) when the Jaguars host Oakland University at noon inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. That contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ as Scott Agness (pxp) and IUPUI Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) describe the action from courtside. In addition, a large contingent of IUPUI basketball alumni will be recognized with a pregame reception and on-court recognition on Saturday.