From the 3:33 mark of the 1st, after an Antoine Davis second chance deuce put visiting Detroit Mercy up 35-31, until the 16:30 mark of the 2d, the Titans did not score.
The Louisville Cardinals meanwhile scored 18 straight, ending that interlude spanning intermission with a 49-35 lead.
That anschluss, which included most all of the Cards best moments of a win that came too hard, started with a 9-0 run between timeouts. El Ellis lay up. A Malik Williams fastbreak deuce to knot it up. A Matt Cross triple. Another Ellis lay up.
Ellis tallied again on another breakout for the 42-35 advantage at the break.