Eric Atkins and Joey Brooks finished with 13 points apiece, and Notre Dame used a strong defensive effort to defeat visiting Detroit 59-53 on Monday.

The Fighting Irish (2-0), playing without suspended top scorer Tim Abromaitis, trailed by eight with 14:04 remaining before outscoring Detroit 14-0 over the next 7:41 to take the lead for good 47-41.

The Titans (1-1), who were 21-for-68 from the floor, failed to get closer than four in the final seven minutes. Notre Dame shot 40 percent and was 4-for-15 from 3-point range.

Detroit, which was already missing suspended center Eli Holman, was crippled early when forwards Nick Minnerath and LaMarcus Lowe got into foul trouble. The Titans grabbed 17 offensive rebounds but failed to cash in, and totalled only eight second-chance points.

Ray McCallum scored a game-high 20 points, and Chase Simon added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit.