AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The Macomb Men's Basketball team suffered a narrow 74-73 loss at No. 21 Oakland Community College Wednesday (Feb. 18) in Auburn Hills. 

In a game that featured seven ties and 13 lead changes, the Owls prevailed on a putback with 24 seconds remaining to secure the win.

With the setback, the Monarchs drop to 15-12 overall and 8-4 in MCCAA Eastern Conference action while the Owls improve to 20-6 overall and 8-4 in league play as the teams split the season series. 

A back-and-forth first half resulted in the Monarchs taking a slim 43-42 edge into the halftime break.Caron Williams netted 16 first half points for the Monarchs. 

The final 20 minutes was hotly contested as neither side led by more than four points.

Williams finished with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Monarchs. Dante Wimberly netted 13 points and pulled down four rebounds, while Donald Wilburn tallied 10 points. 

The Monarchs shot 48.4% from the field and 41.2% from beyond the arc in the hard-fought road affair. 

With the loss and other results around the league, the Monarchs have fallen back into a tie for second place with OCC and Schoolcraft College in conference play with an 8-4 league record.

The Monarchs return to action Saturday (Feb. 21) at the Matthaei Center in Detroit for a Sophomore Day battle with Wayne County Community College District. Tip-off on the campus of Wayne State University is set for 3 p.m.