DETROIT (12/30/2023) -- The 2023 calendar year will come to a close in Indiana as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will make the short trip to Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday.

Game time is set for 2:00 p.m., at the Gates Sports 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.

Detroit Mercy is coming off a setback at IUPUI as Horizon League play resumed on Friday. Freshman Ryan Hurst led the way with a game and season-high 22 points, playing in just his third collegiate game.

Purdue Fort Wayne is off to a 12-2 start and is 3-0 in the conference, with home wins over Green Bay and NKU and a road victory at Oakland. 

Following the contest, the Titans will return home for three straight games as Green Bay (Jan. 4), Milwaukee (Jan. 6) and NKU (Jan. 13) come to Calihan Hall.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The two schools lie just 161 miles apart as the Titans swept the release season series and defeated Purdue Fort Wayne in the playoffs last year to take a 5-4 lead in the all-time match-up.
• UDM is 1-2 on the road, but all three games were at the War Memorial Coliseum.  

LOOKING TO END THE SLIDE

• The Titans - whose last win came against Purdue Fort Wayne in last year's conference tournament - have lost 15 in a row dating back to last season, tying a school record with the 15 straight between the end of the 1986-87 season and the start of 1987-88. 
• Meanwhile, the 14-game slide to start the season is the longest by the Titans since starting 0-14 in 1987-88, a year that saw the squad reach the MCC Championship game after beating third-seeded Saint Louis and second-seeded Evansville before losing in the title game to number one seed Xavier. 

TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SLATE

• Detroit Mercy played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the Horizon League, with several games against multi-bid leagues.
• Nine of the 11 contests had 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 were 202-161 (55.6%) last season, with four making postseason trips in NC State (NCAA), Northwestern (NCAA), Toledo (NIT), and Cincinnati (NIT), and are 85-45 (64.8%) this year. 
• KenPom.com rankings have the Titans' non-conference ranked 58th in the nation and the second-best in the Horizon League behind Oakland at 11th. 

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 as they will now return home for nine of their next 14.  

LOOKING FOR THAT OFFENSE

• Everyone knew the Titans' offense might look different without Antoine Davis.
• Detroit Mercy currently ranks 347th in scoring at 60.9 points per game.
• Without the NCAA all-time second-leading scorer and the top 3-pointer shooter in NCAA history, UDM also ranks 329th with 5.2 triples per game.
• In fact, the Titans have not hit double-digit 3-pointers this season, the longest streak since going 15 straight at one point during the 2014-15 campaign.

SHOWING SOME DEFENSE

• Detroit Mercy has forced double-digit turnovers in six of its' 14 games on the season. UDM also has at least 10 steals in three of the last eight games. 
• The Titans forced Central Michigan into 15 turnovers last week. They had 10 steals and forced Loyola Marymount into 17 turnovers and forced Ball State into a season-high 21 turnovers with a season-best 12 steals. 
• 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.

EARNING POINTS AT THE LINE

• The Titans have made double-digit free throws in six straight games, going 84-of-113 (74.3%) at the line in that span. 
• Detroit Mercy connected on a season-best 20-of-26 at the free throw line at Central Michigan.
• The 20 free throws were the most since making 21 at home against IUPUI last season, while the 26 free-throw attempts were the most since going 22-of-27 at home against Cleveland State last year.

A PRECIOUS STONE

• Senior Jayden Stone played just three minutes at Loyola Marymount as he injured his ankle early in the game and is considered day-to-day. 
• He 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 18.9 points, second in the HL and 50th in the nation, with his 2.6 triples per game, fifth in the HL, along with 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. 
• He has now played in 24 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 11 games he has seen action in this year. 

SCORE IT MARK

• Sophomore Marcus Tankersley scored just seven points apiece in the first two games at Toledo and Cincinnati on 6-of-13 shooting, but he has picked up the offense since then.
• Dating back to last season, he has now scored in double figures in 12 of the last 16 games and is tallying 13.5 points on the year, shooting 43.1% from the field, ninth in the HL. 
• He netted his second 20-point game of his career with 20 at NC State, tying his career high on 8-of-13 shooting with a career-tying three steals, two rebounds, and an assist.
• He led the team with 17 points at Loyola Marymount and that was after his best game in college, tallying his first career double-double with a career-best 23 points and 11 rebounds at Northwestern. 
• He had 11 points with seven rebounds against Ball State, 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 and came back with 14 points and eight rebounds at Ohio. 
• Last year, he 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 two career double-double in the first 14 games. He has also showcased some fine all-around play as a post-player.
• He racked up another double-double with 10 points and a career-high 12 boards at NC State in just 22 minutes of action due to foul trouble. 
• 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 has scored in double figures in six games and has grabbed at least five rebounds in 10 of the 14 games this season as he is currently averaging 8.1 points, 6.0 rebounds - ninth in the HL - 2.0 assists and shooting 50.0% (41-of-82) from the field. 

WELCOME NEWBIES

• A pair of freshmen made their collegiate debuts at Loyola Marymount last week and got right into the thick of things.
• Ryan Hurst - who has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since the start of practice in October - is coming off a season-high 22 points at IUPUI, shooting 8-of-18 from the field, the first 20-point game by a Titan freshman since Antoine Davis in 2018-19.
• He started his career with 13 points, four rebounds and a steal at LMU and came back with a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds at Central Michigan before sitting out at NC State. The 13 points in his collegiate debut were the most by a Titan freshman in his first game since Antoine Davis had 32 at Western Michigan in 2018.
• Meanwhile, Michael Oaks - who signed with the Titans out of a prep school two weeks ago, enrolled early and was immediately eligible - had five points and two blocks at LMU, grabbed seven rebounds in just 17 minutes at CMU and had two points, three caroms and a block at NC State.

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 10 contests, reaching his season-high of eight points twice and grabbing a season-best five boards, shooting 16-of-24 (66.7%) from the field. 
• He had five points, two steals, two rebounds, and a block at Loyola Marymount, and that was after 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. 
• 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.

RETURN OF THE MAK

• Junior Mak Manciel is a local product from Sterling Heights, Michigan, who was a First Team 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.
• While he is off to a slow start shooting, he just had a season-high five points and tied his season best with six rebounds at IUPUI. He recorded four points, six rebounds and a team-high four assists at NC State.
• 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.

MOTOR CITY PRIDE

• Senior Kyle LeGreair is one of the lone veterans under head coach Mike Davis, who has now played in 71 career games.
• He just had three points, two rebounds and two assists at IUPUI and that was after two points, four rebounds and three assists at NC State. 
• He registered five rebounds and three assists at Ole Miss, two steals at Ohio and three assists against Oakland.  

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.