DETROIT (12/17/2023) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will get ready for Christmas with three straight road games this week, starting with a trip to California to face Jesuit-rival Loyola Marymount on Monday.

Game time is set for 10:00 p.m. (EST) at Gersten Pavilion 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 will make just their seventh trip to California, and the first since they visited Cal in 2018, but that game was canceled due to Air Quality Index (AQI) in the area. 

It is also the first-ever match-up between the two schools. The game marks a meeting between two of the 28 Jesuit Universities in the United States as the Titans and Lions are also two of the 20 Jesuit programs that are Division I.

Senior Jayden Stone continues to pace the Titans as he is second in the Horizon League and 19th in the nation in scoring, averaging 20.5 points per game and already has five 20-point outbursts on the season, while sophomore Marcus Tankersley is coming off a career day, posting his first collegiate double-double with a career-best 23 points and 11 rebounds at Northwestern. 

Loyola Marymount is 6-5 on the season and is coming off a loss to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, 68-59. The Lions have played one other Horizon League team on the season, dropping a 74-69 decision to Oakland in the Cayman Islands Classic. 

After the game, the Titans will head back to the Great Lakes State for a game at Central Michigan on Thursday before ending the week at North Carolina State on Saturday.

AGAINST THE WCC

• The Titans are 7-3 all-time against current members of the West Coast Conference. UDM is 2-0 versus San Francisco and Santa Clara, 1-0 over Portland, 2-1 against Gonzaga and 0-1 against St. Mary's and Pepperdine.  
• The last match-up with a WCC foe was at #1 Gonzaga, a 93-72 loss in 2019. 

JESUIT SHOWDOWN

• The game marks a meeting between two of the 27 Jesuit Universities in the United States as the Titans and Lions are also two of the 21 Jesuit programs that are Division I.
• Detroit Mercy is 208-240 all-time against its fellow Jesuit brothers. 

TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SLATE

• Detroit Mercy 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), and are already 72-39 (64.8%) this year.  

EARNING THOSE HOTEL POINTS

• The Titans started 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 on the road.
• Overall, 12 of the first 15 games for the Titans will be on the road. 

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. 

LOOKING FOR THAT OFFENSE

• Everyone knew the Titans' offense might look different without Antoine Davis.
• Detroit Mercy currently ranks 344th in scoring at 61.3 points per game.
• Without the NCAA all-time second-leading scorer and the top 3-pointer shooter in NCAA history, UDM also ranks 314th with 5.5 triples per game.
• In fact, the Titans have not hit double-digit 3-pointers this season, the longest streak since going 11 straight at one point during the 2015-16 campaign.  

SHOWING SOME DEFENSE

• The Titans held Ball State to 36.4% from the field and 5-of-21 (23.8%) from three, forcing a season-high 21 turnovers and 12 steals. 
• It was the fourth time this season they have held an opponent under 40.0% from the field (Cincinnati - 37.5%, Ohio-31.7%, Oakland - 36.4%).
• The 12 steals were the most since tallying 13 against IUPUI last season, while the 21 forced turnovers were the most since IUPUI had 21 on the road in 2021.
• Detroit Mercy also posted 11 steals and six blocks against Oakland, the most since recording seven blocks against IUPUI at home last year.

A PRECIOUS STONE

• Senior Jayden Stone has had a great start to the year, topping his career high twice and extending it to a career-best 34 points against Eastern Michigan, hitting 12-of-15 from the field and 4-of-7 from three. He also corralled six rebounds, had four assists and three steals. 
• Stone led the team with 18 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three assists against Ball State, the most steals by a Titan since 2017.
• He had a game-high 26 points, hitting a season-high 5-of-8 from three, along with grabbing a team-best eight boards at Cleveland State. 
• He flirted with a triple-double, posting 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Oakland, and that was after 23 points, five rebounds and three assists at Southern Illinois Edwardsville. 
• Earlier in the year, he had a then career-high 25 points at Cincinnati, going 9-of-20 from the field and connecting on four triples, and also led the team with 22 points at Ole Miss.
• Stone is averaging 20.5 points, second in the HL and 19th in the nation, with his 2.8 triples per game, second in the HL and 54th in DI, along with 6.3 rebounds - eighth in the conference - and 2.3 assists. 
• He has now played in 23 career games with the Titans and has netted 20 or more 10 times, been in double figures 18 times, and has grabbed five or more rebounds on 16 occasions, including nine of the 10 games this season. 

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 has really picked up the offense since then and is coming off his best game in college, tallying his first career double-double with a career-best 23 points and 11 rebounds. 
• He had 11 points with seven rebounds against Ball State. Tankersley finished with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and a career-high three steals against Oakland and tallied 16 points at Southern Illinois Edwardsville. He exploded for a then career-high 19 points at Ole Miss on 8-of-13 from the field with four rebounds and a career-high five assists. He came back with 14 points and eight rebounds at Ohio and netted 17 points with three rebounds, three assists and a steal against EMU. 
• Dating back to last season, he has now scored in double figures in nine of the last 12 games. Overall, he is tallying 13.0 points and shooting 43.8% from the field. 
• Last year, he really came on at the end of the season, scoring 10 points with three steals and five boards against Purdue Fort Wayne in the Horizon League Championship opening round and ended the year with a season-best 14 points, hitting 6-of-9 from the field, with three rebounds and three assists in the HL Quarterfinals at Youngstown State.

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 10 games. He has also showcased some fine all-around play as a post-player.
• Against Ball State, he registered 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal, while at Cleveland State, he scored five points, tied for the team lead with eight rebounds and handed out a season-best five assists with a block. 
• He recorded 14 points, six rebounds and four assists, shooting a career-best 6-of-9, at Southern Illinois Edwardsville and 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 netted 13 points at Cincinnati, hitting 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-3 from three.
• He has scored in double figures in five games and has grabbed at least five rebounds in eight of the 10 games this season as he is currently averaging 9.1 points, 6.1 rebounds - 10th in the HL - a team-high 2.6 assists and shooting 50.0% (34-of-68) from the field. 

DAVIS COMING ALIVE

• Sophomore Tyree Davis was scoreless and grabbed just two rebounds in the first four games, but he has come alive in the last six contests, reaching his season-high of eight points twice and grabbing a season-best five boards, shooting 12-of-18 (66.7%) from the field. 
• His last time out, he had eight points and his season-high five boards at Northwestern. 
• Davis earned his first Division I points, putting in two baskets and ending with four points against Eastern Michigan. 
• He then provided some energy and great minutes against Oakland, making 4-of-5 from the field and ending with eight points, four rebounds, and his first two career blocks. At Cleveland State, he netted five points and registered another block and had four points and three rebounds against Ball State. 
• Davis' dad, Ricky Davis, played 12 years in the NBA and averaged 13.5 points per game, including a career-high 20.6 with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2002-03.

OLAJUWON IN THE BOOKS

• Redshirt freshman Abdullah Olajuwon has had games with increased production to start the season in all areas on the court.
• Against Oakland, he registered two points, four rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists.  
• He had four points with a steal against Eastern Michigan and four points, a team-high eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals at Ohio.
• He scored his first basket in the season opener at Toledo and added two more points with six boards at Cincinnati.
• He is now 1,313 points behind his dad, Hakeem Olajuwon, who netted 1,332 in three years at Houston from 1981-84.

RETURN OF THE MAK

• Junior Mak Manciel is a local product from Sterling Heights, Michigan, who was a First Team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American as a sophomore at Henry Ford College after posting 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists, shooting 47.6% from the field, 40.8% from three and 83.0% at the line. 
• Last year, he was at Arkansas State, but missed last season due to a knee injury.
• He scored his first Division I points on two free throws at Ole Miss, along with a steal. He connected on his first basket, a three, at Ohio and posted four steals and four rebounds against Oakland.

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.
• He upped his point total to nine at Ohio, adding three assists and a block and had six points against Eastern Michigan.  

MY FAVORITE COLOR IS PINK

• Junior Jamail Pink gave the Titans some strong minutes in his first start at Southern Illinois Edwardsville, scoring six points on a pair of 3-pointers and registering two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in a career-high 29 minutes.
• He just scored five points with three boards and two assists at Northwestern and netted five points against Ball State. 
• Pink had connected on just two career 3-pointers coming into this season, both last year, but has four triples on the year, while his career-high was seven points against NKU last season.

COACH WILLIAMS MAKES HISTORY

• Detroit Mercy hired its first female assistant men's basketball 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 current 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.
• Prior to the home opener on Nov. 21, Detroit Council Member Angela Calloway presented the prestigious Spirit of Detroit Award to her for her outstanding achievement.
• 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.