The Detroit Titans entered Saturday's game with the South Alabama Jaguars on a mini two-game losing streak.

The Titans were coming off games against the Oregon Ducks and the Michigan Wolverines, and they were in contention in both games. In their game against Oregon, the Titans were tied with the Ducks at the half, only to fall apart in the second half en oute to an 83 - 66 loss. Three days later, the Titans took a slim one-point lead into the break on the road at Michigan. But once again, the Titans weren't able to capitalize, losing 71 - 62 to the Wolverines.

The Jaguars entered Saturday's meeting with the Titans on a losing note, as well. The Jaguars lost their previous game to the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, 68 - 59.

Both teams were looking to restart some momentum as they progress in the early portion of the 2014-15 season. The Titans came ready to play in front of their home crowd, and sent the Jaguars to a second straight loss in the process.

The Titans would go on to defeat the Jaguars 66 - 53, evening their record at 2 - 2 on the year.

In the early goings, it looked like it was going to be a low-scoring affair. Five minutes into the contest, the score was 4 - 3 in favour of Detroit. Neither team scored in the first two minutes of the contest before South Alabama broke the scoreless drought with a layup from Dionte Ferguson.

Both teams struggled on the offensive end in the early parts of the first half, as there were multiple stretches of time over a minute long where no baskets were scored.

Detroit would stretch the lead to as much as 15 in the latter part of the first half, capped off by Brandan Kearney making 1-of-2 costless throw attempts. South Alabama found themselves mired in a scoring drought, as they were stuck on 8 points for over 3 minutes.

After the mini drought, the Jaguars found their stroke and started to chip away at the Titans' lead. South Alabama trimmed the deficit down to as little as 5, thanks to a Taishaun Johnson three pointer. From there, the Titans would flex their muscle once again, and stretch the lead back out to 11 at the half, 31 - 20.

In the early goings on the second half, Detroit came out on fire. The Titans were able to stretch the lead to 19 points at one point, thanks in part to strong three point shooting from Paris Bass and Anton Wilson.

The Titans controlled the game the rest of the way, never allowing the Jaguars to get within 10 points until the 2:33 mark. Taishaun Johnson would make two costless throws for South Alabama, to trim the lead to 7, but that's as close as they would get in this contest. Strong costless throw shooting from Juwan Howard, Jr and Matthew Grant down the stretch sealed the victory for the Titans. Howard put an exclamation mark on the win with a fastbreak dunk with less than 30 seconds in the game.

Howard, Jr scored 14 of his points in the second half to help lead the Titans to the 66 - 53 victory.

Overall, Howard led all scorers in the game, putting in 22 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 3 assists in a winning performance. Anton Wilson added in 11 points for the Titans, as they ended their two-game losing streak.

It wasn't all bad for the Jaguars, as Taishaun Johnson recorded a double-double in a losing effort. Johnson led all Jaguars in scoring, with 15 points, to go along with 10 rebounds. Johnson will be a big factor for South Alabama going forwards this season, as they adjust to life without Augustine Rubit.

Detroit has to feel good about where they are headed, especially after this three-game stretch early on in the season. In their close losses to Oregon and Michigan, the Titans know they can compete with top programs in the country on any given night, which bodes well for them going forwards in 2014-15.

The Titans have a tough five game stretch in late-December where they can look back on this stretch for confidence. In December, the Titans host South Florida and Wichita State, then go on the road for three straight games to take on Central Florida, Rhode Island, and Arizona State. If they can play then like they did over their last three games, they have the potential to score some key wins before Horizon League play begins.

Up next, Detroit heads to Toledo, OH to take part in the Progressive Legends Classic. They take on the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks on Monday, then either Bucknell or Toledo on Tuesday.

South Alabama has a few days off before their next contest, where they take on the Miami (FL) Hurricanes on Friday, November 28th. The road doesn't get any easier for them after that, as they have a tough stretch of their own in December. The Jaguars play host to the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, before embarking on their own three-game road trip where they'll face Pepperdine, Richmond, and IUPUI.

Both teams should have some exciting basketball ahead of them in the next month and a bit.