Winston-Salem, N.C. (11/23/2024) -- Three Titans scored in double figures, and UDM dominated the glass, but a slow start had the red, white, and blue playing catch-up all game long as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team dropped a 67-57 contest at Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon.

Junior Orlando Lovejoy tallied a team-high 15 points, grabbed a season-best eight boards and handed out six assists. Freshman TJ Nadeau posted a season-high 13 points with a season-best nine boards and junior Jared Lary added 10 points and four rebounds.

Detroit Mercy (3-3) outrebounded Wake Forest, 48-31. The defense also forced Wake Forest (6-1) into missing 25 of their last 31 from behind the arc and 16 for their last 50 shots overall after starting the contest 8-of-11.

The Titans opened the game with a three from graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac, but the Demon Deacons hit their four attempts from behind the arc. Wake Forest would stay hot offensively and took a 17-6 lead a little more than five minutes into the game.

A layup off an offensive rebound by junior Legend Geeter and a three from Nadeau trimmed it to six, 17-11. Later on, a jumper from Nadeau had the team down by just six again, 25-19, but the Demon Deacons went into the break up 36-23.

Wake Forest scored the first six points in the second half for a 42-23 advantage, but the Titans kept fighting as a triple from redshirt freshman Grant Gondrezick II cut it to 51-40 midway through the period. A layup from freshman Stephen Okoro, who then blocked a shot that led to a three from Lary and it was a nine-point game at 56-47 with 5:54 remaining.

Lary got inside again to make it a 58-49 contest at the 5:15 mark, and Lovejoy buried a three to cut it to nine at 63-54 with 2:20 left. Two free throws from Lary made it an eight-point affair, 65-57, with 1:25 on the scoreboard, but the Titans couldn't get any closer.

Freshman Ryan Kalambay grabbed a season-high five rebounds, while Okoro had four caroms, two points, an assist and a block. Gondrezick II finished with five points, two assists and a rebound and Geeter had four points and three boards.

The Titans will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 26, as they battle Tulsa in the first game of the Jacksonville Classic. Game time is set for Noon at Florida State College of Jacksonville and broadcast information will be announced once it is available.
 

• This was the first meeting between the two schools
• Detroit Mercy is now 20-79 all-time against current teams in the ACC, with the last win against a current ACC school against the Fighting Irish, 83-59, in the Motor City in 1993
• The Titans came into the game leading the Horizon League and 27th in the nation in rebounding at 43.8 per game, having outrebounded its opponent in every game this year
• The Titans were also tops in the HL and 22nd in the country with a +12.4 rebounding margin and 23rd in offensive boards at 15.0 per night
• For his career, Kuac has made 94 field goals, 50 of those from three, including 30 of his 46 field goals as a Titan
• Lovejoy just had a season-high 19 points at Ball State
• Lovejoy now has 20 career games in double figures, 12 games with at least five rebounds and eight games with at least five assists
• Lovejoy now has 11 assists and just three turnovers in the last two games
• Kalambay had just 11 total rebounds entering the game
• Nadeau was in double figures for the second time after netting 10 against Toledo last week
• Nadeau had just 11 boards all season before today's game
• Lary was in double figures for the 21st time in his career

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