Fueled by hot second-half 3-point shooting, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (7-12, 2-2) rallied from 12 down to defeat the University of Detroit Mercy Titans (8-10, 1-2) 77-69 at Calihan Hall in Detroit  Jan. 11.

3-pointers from seniors Duke Mondy and Travis Bader, who combined for 26 second-half points, lifted Oakland past the Titans. Mondy finished the game with 18 points and Bader with 14 points.

“We knew the whole time we got into this conference, this game was gonna be different than other games,” Mondy said. “Bader brought all of us together during a timeout. He said ‘We’re not losing this game,’ and we believed in him and ourselves to do it.”

The Titans had numbers in transition after a Grizzly miss, but a takeaway from Mondy, the nation’s second-ranked pickpocket at 3.86 steals per game, gave OU a second chance.

Instead of passing to a wide-open Bader, Mondy spotted up to hit a game-changing three to tie the game at 68. After a stop, OU went back down the court where Bader hit another 3-pointer to give them their first lead since 9 minutes left in the first half.

“Dante (Williams) made a great play to get us another possession after Duke’s three,” Bader said. “I ended up wide-open and made the shot.”

It was a big win for OU, and looks to be forming a new rivalry with the Titans.

“I fought for a long time to get into the Horizon League, 30 years I’ve been fighting, and it’s kind of an emotional moment now,” OU head coach Greg Kampe. “It’s nice to be able to get in here and see our fans in the crowd.”

Grizzly fans standing outside after the game were cheering so loud that Kampe was forced to talk over them in his post-game press conference.

OU was neck and neck with Detroit the majority of the first half, trading baskets with the Titans with neither lead growing to more than four through the first 15 minutes of the game. In that span, the two teams traded leads nine times. As the half started to close, the Titans managed to pull ahead by eight points, leading 33-25 as they headed for the locker room.

The Grizzly offense was heavily dependent on Corey Petros, who scored 23 points and had 13 rebounds. He led the game in both categories and UDM Coach Ray McCallum couldn’t find a way to stop him.

“Petros’ ability to give them a post game tonight was helpful for them,” McCallum said. “That and some timely threes put us in a tough position.”

It was a bounce-back game for Petros, who was coming off of a disappointing performance against Milwaukee three days prior.

“It’s a big rivalry, and I always want to work hard,” Petros said. “It felt good to get the win.”

Forward Juwan Howard Jr., son of former University of Michigan great Juwan Howard, was the top performer for UDM, scoring 15 for the Titans.

OU pulled within three, twice, early in the second half, but the Grizzlies finally broke through when freshman guard Kahlil Felder completed a 3-point play to tie the game at 61 with 5:52 left.

UDM regained the lead one more time on a 3-point play from Howard, but the Grizzlies ended the game on an 11-1 run to put the Titans away.

Despite the dramatic win, Kampe was focused on the bigger picture.

 “It’s not just the win. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy we won, but it’s not just that,” Kampe said. “We’re part of it (Horizon League) now, and that’s what I’m happy about.”

OU faces Cleveland St. Thursday, Jan. 16. The team will then conclude their three-game road trip Jan. 22 in Green Bay.