DETROIT (11/16/2023) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will conclude its four-game road trip to start the season with another trip to its neighbor state as the Titans visit Ohio on Saturday.

Game time is set for 2:00 p.m., at the Convocation Center and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN App. Fans can also listen to the action on the radio on WLQV 92.7 FM & 1500 AM FaithTalk Detroit with the Voice of Detroit Mercy basketball Dan Hasty.

The Titans have already been in the Buckeye State for games at Toledo and at Cincinnati and are coming off a tough one-point loss at Ole Miss, 70-69.

Detroit Mercy defeated Ohio last year, 88-74, and is looking for its first back-to-back victories over a non-conference opponent since downing Western Michigan in 2020 and 2021. 

Through three games, the Titans have already had five student-athletes post career highs as graduate senior Donovann Toatley had 20 and graduate senior Oton Jankovic netted nine at Toledo, senior Jayden Stone put in 25 at Cincinnati, while graduate senior Edoardo Del Cadia went for 16 at Ole Miss and sophomore Marcus Tankersley added 19.

Stone is currently second in the Horizon League in scoring at 20.7 points per game, while Del Cadia is ninth in the conference with 6.3 rebounds per night.

After the game, the Titans will return to the Motor City for their home opener against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 21. It will be the annual MITTEN DRIVE game as anyone who donates a pair of mittens at the door will get in for FREE! 

For tickets, click here. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• This is just the seventh career meeting between the two schools as Ohio leads the match-up, 4-2, including both games at the Convocation Center. 
• Last year, the Titans shot 51.7% overall (30-of-58) and were 11-of-26 (42.3%) from three and 17-of-21 (81.0%) at the free throw line in an 88-74 win as Antoine Davis scored 28 points.
• UDM also defeated Ohio, 84-77, on Dec. 21, 1971, in Ann Arbor during a tournament held at Michigan, but the Bobcats then claimed the next four meetings. Three of those losses came down the wire in a 66-65 decision at Calihan Hall in February of 2005, a 56-55 contest in Athens in December of 2005, and a 63-61 outcome in Calihan Hall in 2018 as the Titans' 3-pointer at the buzzer was too strong.

All-Time Series

• 12/21/71 - W, 84-77 at Michigan
• 2/19/05 - L, 66-65 at Detroit Mercy
• 12/22/05 - L, 56-55 at Ohio
• 12/15/18 - L, 63-61 at Detroit Mercy
• 11/30/19 - L, 91-81 at Ohio
• 11/16/22 - W, 88-74 at Detroit Mercy

EARNING THOSE HOTEL POINTS

• The Titans are starting the year with four straight away from Calihan Hall for the fourth time in school history and the third time under head coach Mike Davis.
• In 2020-21, Detroit Mercy started the year with nine straight on the road, while in 2019-20, the red, white and blue played seven in a row away from the Motor City.
• It also happened in 2006-07 when the Titans played their first five outside of Detroit.

A STRUGGLE ON THE ROAD

• Detroit Mercy is 13-86 in true non-conference road games since the 2007-08 season, including 3-35 under head coach Mike Davis.
• The three wins were at Tulsa last season, at Western Michigan in 2020 and at Eastern Michigan in 2018.
• It should be noted that under coach Davis, the Titans have scheduled very aggressively against high-major teams and consistent mid-major powers. 

TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SLATE

• The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will have 11 non-conference games, with several against multi-bid leagues.
• Nine of the 11 contests will have the Titans on the road as the red, white and blue face teams from the AAC, ACC, BIG 10, SEC and the WCC, among others.
• The 11 foes totaled a 202-161 (55.6%) record last season, with four making postseason trips in NC State (NCAA), Northwestern (NCAA), Toledo (NIT), and Cincinnati (NIT).

AGAINST THE MAC

• Detroit Mercy is 184-126 all-time against current members of the MAC and has won three of the last five over the league. 
• On the road, though, the Titans have dropped 12 of their last 14 MAC games since the 2015-16 season, with wins at Western Michigan during the 2020-21 campaign and at Eastern Michigan in the 2017-18 season. 

IMPROVEMENT THROUGH 3

• The Titans were outrebounded in the first two games but owned the boards against Ole Miss, 33-28, despite the Rebels' starting center checking in at 7'5.
• Detroit Mercy was also just 14-of-27 at the line in the first two games, but shot 13-of-18 at Ole Miss and the red, white and blue have also lowered its turnovers from 23 at Toledo, to 15 at Cincinnati and 11 its last time out. 

STONE FINALLY REACHES NEW HIGH

• Senior Jayden Stone tallied a career-high 25 points at Cincinnati, going 9-of-20 from the field and connecting on four triples. 
• He also led the team with 22 points at Ole Miss his last time out and is averaging 20.7 points in the first three games, shooting 43.4% overall and 41.7% from three. 
• He has now played in 16 career games with the Titans and has netted 20 or more seven times. 

DEL CADIA NETS CAREER BEST

• Graduate senior Edoardo Del Cadia tied and then set his career high in points, while posting his first career double-double in the first three games.
• He just tallied a career-best 16 points and career-tying 10 boards at Ole Miss, to go with three assists, a block and a steal. 
• He tied his then-career best with 13 points at Cincinnati, hitting 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-3 from behind the arc before fouling out after playing just 22 minutes and that was after seven points, six boards and three helpers in the opener at Toledo.
• He is currently averaging 12.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists, shooting 63.2% from the field (12-of-19). 

TOATLEY'S BIG DAY

• Graduate senior Donovann Toatley had a big day in the season opener at Toledo, going for a career-high 20 points, tying his career-best with three steals and assisting on six baskets. 
• Toatley's previous high was 19 points, accomplished four times, with the last against Western Carolina as a member of Tennessee Chattanooga in 2018-19.

OLAJUWON IN THE BOOKS

• Redshirt freshman Abdullah Olajuwon scored his first basket in the season opener at Toledo and added two more points with six boards at Cincinnati and had a bucket at Ole Miss. 
• He is now 1,326 behind his dad, Hakeem Olajuwon, who netted 1,332 in three years at Houston from 1981-84.

SCORE IT MARK

• Sophomore Marcus Tankersley scored just seven points in each of the first two games at Toledo and at Cincinnati on 6-of-13 shooting, but he exploded for a career-high 19 points at Ole Miss.
• He was a career-best 8-of-13 from the field, hitting just his third career 3-pointer in the process, and also dished out a career-best five assists and grabbed four rebounds.
• He saw action in 24 games, all as a reserve, last season and averaged 2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds, shooting 51.3% from the field (20-of-39) and 93.8% (15-of-16) at the line.
• He really came on at the end of the year, scoring 10 points (4-5 FG, 4-4 FT) with three steals and tying his season high with five boards against Purdue Fort Wayne in the Horizon League Championship opening round and ending the year with a season-best 14 points, hitting 6-of-9 from the field, with three rebounds and three assists in the Horizon League Championship Quarterfinals at Youngstown State.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR TRENTON

• Junior Trenton Johnson - a walk-on - did not see action in the opener at Toledo and played just 15 minutes at Cincinnati, but when the Titans needed another man at Ole Miss, his hard work and dedication paid off.
• Johnson scored his first DI points, finishing with eight on 3-of-4 shooting, 2-of-3 from three, along with three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 33 minutes.
• He spent the last two years at Vincennes University, seeing action in 64 games with 27 starts and posted 5.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

WIN #411 & COUNTING

• Head coach Mike Davis earned his first triumph as a head coach on Nov. 14, 2000, when his Indiana Hoosiers defeated Pepperdine, 80-68, in Bloomington.
• Last season, he won his 400th career game in the 70-49 victory over Charlotte at Calihan Hall.
• He now has 411 career wins, 142nd in DI NCAA history, one away from 141st and Mike Deane. 
• Davis is one of nine current coaches to win 100 games at three different schools (Indiana, UAB, Texas Southern). 

FROM ALL OVER

• Detroit Mercy's roster features student-athletes from five states (Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Maryland, Indiana) and five countries outside the states (Australia, Canada, Croatia, France, Italy).
• Edoardo Del Cadia is believed to be the first Titan from Italy, while Jayden Stone is the first Titan from Australia and Alex Tchikou the first from France. 

COACH WILLIAMS MAKES HISTORY

• Detroit Mercy hired its first female assistant coach in school history in former high school coach Jerica Williams.
• She is one of 31 women on DI MBB staffs in positions of leadership directly working with the players, although she is the only coach in Division I who has on-the-court instruction and recruiting duties.
• She was the girls' basketball head coach at Detroit Country Day from 2020-2022, where she was named back-to-back Coach of the Year in her first two years as a head coach while leading her team to back-to-back MSHAA Final Fours, before becoming Girls' Basketball Program Lead at the Windward School in Los Angeles, California. In the off-season, she continued working with NBA players on and off the court.
• Prior to that, she served as an Assistant Coach at Cal State Northridge from 2019-2020 and was the Chief of Staff at her alma mater, San Diego State in 2018-19. 
• Williams played collegiate basketball from 2006-2010 at UCLA and San Diego State, where she was part of two Mountain West Conference championship teams along with two NCAA appearances. Prior to college, she led her high school team to four straight CIF championships, winning 3 in a row. 
• It was announced that prior to the home opener on Nov. 21, Detroit Council Member Angela Calloway will present the prestigious Spirit of Detroit Award to her for her outstanding achievement in becoming the program's first-ever female men's assistant coach.
•  The Spirit of Detroit Award is issued by the Detroit City Council to a person, event, or organization deemed to have performed an outstanding achievement or service to the citizens of Detroit.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

• Nothing new for the Titans to have a family connection in the program and this season, Detroit Mercy will once again feature a pair of Davis' in head coach Mike Davis and assistant coach Mike Davis Jr.
• For the last five years, Antoine Davis joined his dad and his brother on the team as a student-athlete and became one of the greatest scorers in NCAA history.  
• From 2010-13, the Titans had head coach Ray McCallum and star guard Ray McCallum, winning the HL title in 2012 and earning a trip to the NIT in 2013.
• Also, the legendary Bob Calihan coached his son, Bob Calihan Jr., for one season as he transferred to U-D from Loyola for his senior season in 1968-69. 
• The current father-son coaching player duo is part of seven in DI.