DETROIT (12/4/2023) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will have one more home game before the calendar turns to 2024 as the Titans battle Ball State on Wednesday on Dick Vitale Court in Calihan Hall. 

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN App with Jeremy Otto and Earl Cureton '11 on the call. 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.

Tickets start at just $10 and can be purchased here. 

This will be just the third home game of the season for Detroit Mercy, who will not play another home game until Jan. 4.

Detroit Mercy had a pair of tough losses in conference play last week, falling to Oakland at home and on the road at Cleveland State.

Senior Jayden Stone is currently leading the Horizon League and is 13th in the nation in scoring at 21.8 points per game, while his five 20-point games on the year are tied for the fourth most in the nation, while graduate senior Donovann Toatley came off the bench to tally 13 points and a season-high five rebounds at Cleveland State. 

Ball State is 6-2 on the season after downing Bellarmine, 67-58, on the road on Saturday.

DETROIT MERCY-BALL STATE

• Detroit Mercy and Ball State have only met four previous times, with the teams splitting the four games with a win each at home and on the road.
• The last meeting was on Nov. 27, 2004, when the Cardinals downed the Titans 59-44 in Detroit. Peyton Stovall led BSU with 21 points, while three Titans led the way with eight, including Ryvon Covile, whose daughter - Kamari Forrest - is a freshman on the UDM women's team. 
• The first-ever meeting was on Dec. 17, 1977, as the Titans routed Ball State, 103-70, as Terry Tyler posted a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• Dec. 17, 1977 Detroit, MI - W, 103-70
• Dec. 16, 1978 Muncie, IN - L 82-81
• Feb. 21, 2004 Muncie, IN - W, 70-49
• Nov. 27, 2004 Detroit, MI - L, 59-44

TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SLATE

• 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), and are already 56-27 (67.4%) 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. 

SHOWING SOME DEFENSE

• The Titans posted 11 steals and six blocks against Oakland, the most since recording 13 steals and seven blocks against IUPUI at home last year.
• At Cleveland State, they held the Vikings to 35.1% from the field and 5-of-15 from the outside. 

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 tied his career-high with three steals. 
• Stone just netted 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 a HL best 21.8 points, 13th in the nation, with his 3.1 triples per game, second in the HL and 24th in DI, along with 6.5 rebounds - tied for ninth in the conference - and 2.3 assists. 
• His five 20-point games are tied for the fourth most in the NCAA, while his 36-point outburst is tied for the 17th best in DI this year. 
• He has now played in 21 career games with the Titans and has netted 20 or more 10 times, been in double figures 16 times, and has grabbed five or more rebounds on 15 occasions, including all eight games this year.  

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 eight games. He has also showcased some fine all-around play as a post-player.
• His last time out 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 from the field at Southern Illinois Edwardsville and had 10 points, six boards and a career-best two blocks against Oakland.  
• Del Cadia tallied a career-best 16 points and career-tying 10 boards at Ole Miss, to go with three assists, a block and a steal. At Ohio, he had nine points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.  
• 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 four games and has grabbed at least five rebounds in seven of the eight games this season as he is currently averaging 9.8 points, 6.5 rebounds - ninth in the HL - 2.9 assists and shooting 50.9% (29-of-57) from the field. 

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 1,316 points 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 has really picked up the offense since then.
• 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 career-high 19 points at Ole Miss on a career-best 8-of-13 from the field with four rebounds and a career-high five assists. He came back with 14 points and a career-high 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 seven of the last 10 games, shooting 47-of-96 (48.9%) in that span. Overall, he is tallying 12.0 points and shooting 45.1% 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.

DAVIS IN THE BOOKS

• Sophomore Tyree 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 a season-high eight points, four rebounds, and his first two career blocks. At Cleveland State, he netted five points and registered another block. 
• 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 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 along with registering two rebounds, two assists and a steal in a career-high 29 minutes.
• Pink had hit two career 3-pointers coming into the game, both last season, while his career-high is seven points against NKU last season.
• He has now played in 22 career games, including 16 last year, with five starts. 

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.