Detroit Mercy UDM 3-2,0-0 Horizon

Ball St. BSU 1-4,0-0 MAC

Detroit Mercy UDM

3-2,0-0 Horizon

Final

Nov. 20, 2024

Ball St. BSU

1-4,0-0 MAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Detroit Mercy UDM	32	38	70
Ball St. BSU	27	32	59

Summary
Box Score

Junior Jared Lary was the driving force in the Titans' big road win at Ball State.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 11.20.24

Titans Bounce Ball State For Road Victory

MUNCIE, Ind. (11/20/2024) -- Three Titans scored in double figures as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team led for nearly the entire game in a 70-59 win at Ball State on Wednesday night.

The win ended the Titans' 22-game road losing streak and moved them to 3-2 on the season. For the first time since starting the 2017-18 season at 4-2, the Titans are above .500 through five games.

Junior Orlando Lovejoy tied his career high with 19 points to go with a season-high seven rebounds and five assists as he was 5-of-12 from the field and a career-tying 9-of-10 at the line. Junior Jared Lary posted a season-high 15 points, shooting 6-of-9 overall and 3-of-4 from three, with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, and graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac added 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 3-of-6 from behind the arc, and five caroms, an assist and a steal.

The Titans trailed at 1-0 and the game was tied at 4-4, but the red, white and blue opened a double-digit lead in the first and led by as many as 15 in the second.

It was a defensive battle to start the game as the Titans forced Ball State (1-14) into 1-of-10 shooting early on. Lovejoy had back-to-back baskets and senior Mak Manciel got to the rim for a score and a 10-4 lead. Later on, Kuac netted eight straight points, the last two baskets from distance, as UDM took a 20-11 advantage with under eight minutes to go.

The Titans had an eight-point lead at 22-14 as Lary found freshman Ryan Kalambay for a bucket in the paint and again at 24-16 as freshman TJ Nadeau buried a triple off an offensive rebound before settling for a 32-27 lead at the break.

Junior Legend Geeter ignited an 8-0 run in the second to extend the lead to 40-29. Geeter and Kuac nailed 3-pointers and Lary added a layup. A minute later, Lary found Geeter inside for a score and a steal from Lovejoy led to a Lary basket, and it was 44-31 with 16:07 left.

Ball State would go on a 12-2 charge to cut the deficit to three, 46-43, but Lary had an offensive rebound and putback, and then Kuac had an offensive board that led to a three from Lary and a 51-43 lead with 9:19 remaining.

The teams would trade baskets, but two free throws from Lovejoy followed by a layup once again pushed the margin to nine, 60-51, with 5:57 on the scoreboard. Another offensive rebound, this time by freshman Nate Johnson, led to a triple from Lary and a 63-52 score and Geeter put the finishing touches nailing a trifecta for a 66-52 margin with just under three minutes left.

Geeter ended with eight points, four boards and two steals, while freshman Stephen Okoro and Johnson grabbed four rebounds.

The Titans shot 45.5% overall and 52.9% (9-of-17) from three, but held Ball State to 17-of-44 (38.6%) from the field and 5-of-25 (20.0%) from three. UDM won the battle of the glass, 40-30, which included 13 offensive rebounds, and grabbed 15 of the last 20 total boards in the contest. Detroit Mercy also forced BSU into 15 turnovers and had a 17-4 margin in second-chance points.

Detroit Mercy will head south, starting with a trip to ACC territory to take on Wake Forest on Saturday.

Game Notes:

The all-time series is now tied at 3-3, including 2-1 on the road
Detroit Mercy is now 185-131 all-time against current members of the
MAC as it ended a seven-game slide to the conference
The last road victory for the Titans was a 96-74 tally at Oakland on Feb. 17, 2023
The last time UDM held a team under 60 points on the road was a 71-58 triumph at Milwaukee in 2021-22
Head coach Mark Montgomery faced Ball State many times as the head coach at NIU, and is now 8-11 against the Cardinals
Detroit Mercy has outrebounded its opponent in every game this season and came into the contest leading the Horizon League and 21st in the nation at 44.7 per game, as well as topping the HL and standing 23rd in the country with 15.5 offensive boards per contest
Kuac has now scored in double figures three times on the season and six times in his career
For his career, Kuac has made 92 field goals, 48 of those from behind the arc, including 29 of his 44 field goals as a Titan
Geeter came into the game 5-of-17 from three in his career and 0-of-3 this season, but hit both of his attempts today
Lovejoy other 19-point game was at NIU last year as a member of Eastern Michigan, where he was also 9-of-10 at the free-throw line
Lovejoy also has 11 games in his career with five or more rebounds, with his career-best 10 against Northwood last season
Lary's career-high in points is 22 against Cleary last year