Men's Basketball 12.27.24

Titans Return To Action With #HLMBB Battle At Youngstown State On Sunday

Men's Basketball 12.27.24

Titans Return To Action With #HLMBB Battle At Youngstown State On Sunday

The Titans will look to even their record in conference play.

DETROIT (12/27/2024) -- Christmas is over, and it will be nothing but Horizon League action the rest of the way as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team closes out the 2024 calendar by visiting Youngstown State on Sunday.

Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

The Titans want to end a four-game slide as they are 5-9 overall and 1-2 in the conference. UDM began HL play by beating one of the league's preseason favorites in Purdue Fort Wayne, 79-78, before falling to Wright State (80-72) and at NKU (73-60).

The way the schedule broke down, Detroit Mercy will start the Horizon League slate by playing four of the top six teams in the league, according to the preseason poll, in Purdue Fort Wayne, Wright State, NKU, and Youngstown State.

Redshirt freshman Grant Gondrezick II is tallying 14.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his last six games, scoring in double figures in all six with a pair of 20-point contests, while junior Orlando Lovejoy leads the team in scoring (14.1), rebounding (4.4), assists (4.3) and steals (1.9).

Youngstown State started the season at 2-5 but has won three in a row and comes into the game at 8-5 overall. The Penguins are also 3-0 in the league, with road wins at Robert Morris and Wright State and a home triumph against Oakland.

Following the game, the Titans will return home as Robert Morris (Jan. 2) and Milwaukee (Jan. 4) visit Calihan Hall.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Detroit Mercy has dominated the all-time series, 40-18, but Youngstown State has won six in a row and nine of the last 11 meetings.
The Titans are 17-11 all-time on the road, but have dropped four in a row and five of the last seven games at the Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.

TOUGH FOES IN THE NON-CONFERENCE

The Titans will play a few home games in the non-conference campaign. Three will take place in November, marking the most home games since they had three in the 2018-19 season.
Overall, the Titans' 10 DI opponents are 75-45 (.625) on the year, highlighted by Rhode Island (11-1), Wisconsin (10-3), Davidson (9-3), Loyola (9-4) and Wake Forest (9-3).

LOCAL & GLOBAL TITANS

Detroit Mercy will have a lot of local flair this year, as 10 of the 15 Titans hail from Michigan.
The 10 homegrown products are the most on the roster since UDM had 12 student-athletes from the Great Lakes State in 2017-18.
Along with those Titans, Detroit Mercy also has a player from Wisconsin, two from Canada and a player from France and Nigeria.

LOOKING FOR THE NEXT BENCHMARK

The Titans have already eclipsed last year's win total of one and snapped a 22-game road slide with a win at Ball State.
UDM posted four wins in November, the most in the month since going 4-3 at the start of the 2017-18 season.

RUNNING THE OFFENSE

The Titans scored 90 points for the second time this season in their 98-89 road win at Eastern Michigan. They also won 91-52 versus Cleary to start the year.
The 98 points were the most since UDM recorded 99 in two overtimes at Robert Morris last year, the only time it was in the 90's.
UDM's 54.8% shooting against the Eagles was the best since hitting 59.6% (31-of-52) at Wright State last year, while the 17 assists were the second most on the year after the 19 against Cleary.
They nearly went over 50.0% again, ending with 48.3% (29-of-60) versus Purdue Fort Wayne, including 65.5% (19-of-29 overall and 9-of-14 from three) in the second half.
UDM also nailed a season-high 11 triples against the Mastodons, the most since connecting on 12 last year at Wright State.

NOT YOUR NBA GAME

The Titans are currently second in the Horizon League and 52nd in the nation, hitting at 37.3% from downtown.
But a little different than in years past or today's professional game, UDM is 10th in the HL and 311th in DI connecting on 6.3 per game and 11th in the conference and 346th in the country with just 16.9 attempts per game.
In fact, the red, white and blue have made double-digit 3-pointers just once this season (11 vs. PFW) and three times going back to the start of last year (span of 46 games).

DOMINATING THE GLASS

Detroit Mercy has owned the glass this year, outrebounding its opponents in nine of its 14 games. The Titans are second in the Horizon League and 55th in the country with 39.1 rebounds per game, second in the HL and 56th in the country with 13.0 offensive boards, and fourth in the league and 123rd in DI with a +3.9 rebounding average.
UDM registered a 48-31 tally at Wake Forest (14-6 on offense). The Titans outrebounded Ball State, 40-30, with 13 offensive and collected 15 of the last 20 rebounds in the contest to seal the win.
Detroit Mercy took the glass against Niagara, 49-28, the first time it had a margin of +20 or more since a 53-20 advantage at home over Youngstown State in 2016.
The Titans pulled down 53 rebounds in the season opener against Cleary, the most since the 53 they had against Youngstown State. They also edged Loyola, 40-39, which included 20 offensive caroms, and Tulsa, 47-44, 16-9 on offense.

GIVE US ONE MORE CHANCE

UDM's outstanding work on the glass has led to a 175-123 margin on second-chance points on the season.
Detroit Mercy had 20 second-chance points in the season opener against Cleary, 22 at Loyola, and tallied a 17-4 margin at Ball State and 18-6 versus Wright State.
Last year, UDM had just one game all season long with 15 second-chance points.

PLAYING SOME DEFENSE

In the win at Ball State, the Titans held a team under 60 points on the road for the first time since a 71-58 triumph at Milwaukee in 2021-22.
At Wake Forest, the Titans forced the Demon Deacons 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.
Against Tulsa, the defense held the Golden Hurricane into 8-of-25 (32.0%) from the field and 4-of-17 (23.5%) from three in the second half, while Purdue Fort Wayne was 6-of-26 from three in the second half and Wisconsin 7-of-35 from distance.

313 IS WHERE O WANTS TO BE

Junior Orlando Lovejoy hails from Detroit, evidenced by his 313 tattoo on his right arm.
He has been remarkably consistent on offense and defense, scoring in double figures in 10 games, including a pair of 20-point efforts, as well as grabbing at least three rebounds in 12 games and five on six occasions.
He also has at least three assists in 11 games and five or more in six, ranking fourth in the league with 4.3 per game, as well as at least one steal in 12 games with five multi-steal contests, including a career-high five at Loyola and four at Davidson and at NKU, and is fourth in the HL with 1.86 steals per game.
Lovejoy just tallied 20 points with four rebounds and three assists at Wisconsin.
He had a team-high 16 points with five rebounds, four assists, and four steals at NKU. The guard tallied 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals against Wright State, and that was after 18 points and a career-high nine assists against Purdue Fort Wayne. He recorded 18 points with seven assists and three steals at EMU, tying the game with a layup with just three ticks on the clock.
He scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 8-of-8 at the free-throw line (no 3-pointers) against Rhode Island, with seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals and had a team-high 15 points, eight boards, and handed out six assists at Wake Forest.
On the year, he leads the team at 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, shooting 41.9% overall and 82.1% at the line, ranking in the top 10 in the HL in scoring, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio (60a - 30t), steals, free-throw percentage and minutes played (33:25).

GEETER READY TO MAKE HIS OWN LEGEND

After stops at Providence and Eastern Michigan, junior Legend Geeter has found himself at home in his hometown.
He has been in double figures in five of the last seven games.
At Davidson, he netted 17 points - hitting a career-high five 3-pointers - along with three rebounds, two steals and a block.
Geeter had a great opening week of conference play, scoring 10 points, grabbing eight rebounds with two assists and a block against Wright State, and that was after a career game, netting a career-high 22 points, going 9-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from distance ringing in the game-winning triple against Purdue Fort Wayne, while corralling nine boards.
He scored 14 points, along with three boards, three assists, and a steal at EMU, after 11 points, six rebounds, and a career-high four steals with a block against Rhode Island. Earlier in the year, he recorded 14 points against Niagara, going 3-of-5 from the field and 8-of-8 at the free-throw line.
On the year, he is averaging 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds, shooting 45.2% (42-of-93) overall and 12-of-24 from three.
Geeter - who was coached in high school by Titan assistant coach LaMonta Stone and was a top-50 recruit in the nation - started his career in the BIG EAST at Providence but did not see action in any games and spent the last two seasons at EMU.

WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING

Freshman TJ Nadeau was in double figures for the fourth time this season, ending with 11 points versus Wright State.
Nadeau started HL play with nine points, five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal against Purdue Fort Wayne.
He had a season-best 16 points at EMU, hitting 5-of-7 from the field, 2-of-2 from distance, and 4-of-4 at the line.
Before that, he posted 13 points with a season-best nine boards at Wake Forest and netted his first double-digit effort with 10 points against Toledo.
As a rookie, he is averaging 7.1 points, with 17 of his 34 field goals coming from behind the arc, the most triples on the squad.

NATE THE GREAT

Freshman Nate Johnson has held his own as a rookie on the hardwood, registering five games in double figures, 11 games with three or more rebounds, and four games with at least two assists.
On the year, he is averaging 6.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists, shooting 38.1% overall.
He scored 11 points with four rebounds and a block at NKU, his third straight game in double figures, after registering 10 points with four rebounds at Davidson and 12 points, three rebounds and two assists against Wright State. Prior to that Johnson added 11 points and five rebounds versus EMU and 13 points at Loyola.
Johnson was named the Under Armour Freshman of the Week on Nov. 11 as he showed his all-around skills in his first three collegiate games, averaging 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists, hitting 10-of-23 (43.5%) from the field, with four triples.
He started his collegiate career with nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists in the win over Cleary. He came back and added 13 points and three boards at Loyola, then tallied nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the come-from-behind win over Niagara.

PUTTING IN THE MILES

Freshman Miles Mitchell was a candidate to redshirt at the start of the season, but after not playing the first three games, he has come off the bench, providing a spark on offense and defense.
He has 21 rebounds in the last three games, grabbing seven at Wisconsin, a season-high eight with a block and a steal at NKU and six with a block at Davidson.
Mitchell finished with eight points and had four rebounds in just 13 minutes against Rhode Island and notched two points, four rebounds, an assist and a block in 15 minutes of action at EMU.
He is 13-of-25 from the field (52.0%) on the year, with all of those field goals coming around the basket.

KALAMBAY'S PLAY

Freshman Ryan Kalambay had one of his strongest games as he tied for the team lead with a season-high six boards to go with two assists, two steals and a block at Davidson.
He had two points, three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal against Rhode Island. He had his second-straight game with five rebounds, three points, two steals and a block against Tulsa after pulling down five rebounds with a block at Wake Forest.

GIVE ME A GRANT

Redshirt freshman Grant Gondrezick II has really come on since the start of the year, reaching double figures in six straight games after scoring just 16 total points in his first seven.
He started his scoring streak by stepping up when his team needed him at Eastern Michigan, posting a season-high 22 points, a season-best seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal as he was 7-of-14 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 6-of-7 at the charity stripe.
He just registered his second 20-point scoring game with 20 at Wisconsin, going 8-of-18 overall and 3-of-4 from three. He had 12 points with five rebounds, four assists, and two steals at NKU and ended with 13 points at Davidson. Before that, he recorded 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals against Wright State, and added 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists versus Purdue Fort Wayne.
He did not see any action at Elon last year, but was a high scorer at Benton Harbor, posting nearly 2,000 career points. As a senior, he netted 997 total points, averaging 25.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 steals. He earned First Team All-State and was named to the Mr. Basketball Top 10 Watchlist for 2023.
His dad, Grant Gondrezick, played college basketball at Pepperdine and then two seasons in the NBA for the Suns, while his mother, Felicia, won the 1988 NCAA Championship at Louisiana Tech.
His older sister, Kalabrya, played college basketball at Michigan State, while his other sister, Kysre, was Miss Basketball in Michigan, played for Michigan and West Virginia and currently plays in the WNBA.
His uncle, Glen, his dad's brother, played at UNLV and spent six seasons in the NBA with the Knicks and Nuggets.

A DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR OKORO

Freshman Stephen Okoro talked about being a Dennis Rodman-type player and is averaging 4.0 rebounds on the season, with 25 on offense and 26 on defense.
He pulled down a game-high nine boards against Tulsa, with four off the offensive glass.
He had four rebounds, two points, a block, and an assist in 10 minutes at Wake Forest and five rebounds with a block against Toledo.
Okoro had three points and a team-best six boards at Loyola and made an impact in his Titan debut against Cleary. He played just 16 minutes and came away with a double-double of 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, connecting on 6-of-8 from the field.
He is the first Titan to have a double-double in his debut since senior Gerald Liddell at Purdue Fort Wayne in 2022, while the last freshman to accomplish the task was Marquis Moore at IUPUI in 2019.

FUCHS JR'S LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY

Junior Peter Fuchs Jr. has moved around for the best opportunity to play at the highest level, and now he has that chance.
He just returned home and scored six points at Wisconsin.
Fuchs Jr. scored his first DI points with a basket against Cleary, had seven against Tulsa in the Jacksonville Classic and two key free throws against Purdue Fort Wayne.
He came to the Titans from Minnesota-Crookston, where he missed his freshman year with an injury. He returned to play in 22 games last season and averaged 6.4 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Fuchs Jr. shot 40.9% from the field and 77.3% at the free-throw line, tallying a season-high 16 points against Wayne State (Neb.).