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University of Detroit Mercy Athletics

78
Purdue Fort Wayne Pur-FW 5-4,0-1 Horizon
79
Winner Detroit Mercy UDM 5-5,1-0 Horizon
Purdue Fort Wayne Pur-FW
5-4,0-1 Horizon
78
Final
79
Detroit Mercy UDM
5-5,1-0 Horizon
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Purdue Fort Wayne Pur-FW 33 45 78
Detroit Mercy UDM 31 48 79
GEETER

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

The Legend Grows As Geeter Lifts Titans Past Mastodons in #HLMBB Opener

DETROIT (12/5/2024) – Junior transfer Legend Geeter scored a career-high 22 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with four seconds remaining, as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team opened #HLMBB play with a huge 79-78 victory over preseason Horizon League favorite Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday afternoon inside Calihan Hall. 

The Mastodons (5-4, 0-1 HL) had a chance at a game-winning basket, but their last-second shot rimmed out, and the Titans (5-5, 1-0 HL) started Horizon League play 1-0 for the first time since 2022-23. 
  Geeter also added nine rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 36 minutes of action, going a career-best 9-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from three. Fellow junior transfer Orlando Lovejoy posted 18 points to go along with four rebounds and a career-high nine assists. Graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac and Grant Gondrezick II chipped in 11 points each, pulling down nine rebounds between the two, and freshman TJ Nadeau netted nine points and had five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal.

UDM and Purdue Fort Wayne traded baskets in the opening half and throughout the game, as neither side led by more than 10 points. The visitors took a 33-31 lead into the halftime break. 

The second half was much like the first, as both teams continued to trade baskets. The Mastodons took a game-high eight-point lead, 59-51, with 8:25 left, but that was quickly cut to just four following a 3-pointer by Nadeau with 7:40 on the clock.

The Titans eventually tied the game at 68-68 after Kuac made a 3-pointer with 4:21 left in the game. They later took their first lead of the second half following a huge dunk by Kuac with 2:58 to go, putting UDM ahead 72-70. 

The Mastodons simply refused to back down, however, and went ahead 77-74 with 1:04 left, forcing the Titans to foul and send them to the free-throw line.

Purdue Fort Wayne failed to make its free throws and with 41 seconds remaining, Lovejoy's floater cut the deficit to just one, 77-76. 

Purdue Fort Wayne came back down the floor, and UDM decided not to foul this time. It paid off when the Mastodons missed a layup after Kuac swatted it away. The Titans, however, could not convert on the other end and were again forced to foul with seven seconds left. After the Mastodons split the free throws, Detroit Mercy responded by Geeter hitting what would be the game-winning 3-pointer, as the Mastodons failed to convert on the other end. 

The Titans ended the game shooting 48.3% (29-of-60), sinking a season-high 11 from distnace. The red, white, and blue were also 10-of-13 at the line and handed out 15 assists, while outrebounding the Mastodons 34-29.

Detroit Mercy will remain at home to take on Wright State in #HLMBB action on Saturday at 1:00 PM inside Calihan Hall.

Game Notes:
  • The all-time series is now tied at 6-6, with the Titans leading 5-3 in the Motor City
  • Detroit Mercy is now 19-26 all-time in HL openers, winning five of the last seven, as well as 25-20 all-time in HL home openers, also winning five of the last seven
  • UDM had four players in double figures for the third time this season as well as the second-straight game
  • The Titans' 11 triples were the most since making 12 at Wright State last season
  • Detroit Mercy has owned the glass this year, outrebounding its opponents in nine of its 10 games as they came into the day leading the Horizon League and 16th in the country with 42.6 rebounds per game, second in the HL and 39th in the country with 13.7 offensive boards, and second in the league and 39th in DI with a +9.1 rebounding average. 
  • Geeter is the fourth different Titan this year to net at least 20 in a game
  • Geeter's previous high in points was 14, twice, including the last game at EMU, while his high in rebounds in 10 against Winthrop in 2022
  • Geeter's nine field goals were also a career-best than his six at Florida Atlantic last season
  • Lovejoy's previous high in assists was eight at Central Michigan last year
  • Lovejoy was in double figures for the seventh time this year and the 23rd time in his career
  • Lovejoy now has 35 assists against just 18 turnovers in his last six games
  • Kuac was in double figures for the eighth time in his career
  • For his career, Kuac has made 106 field goals, 52 of those from three, including 33 of his 58 field goals as a Titan
  • Nadeau has now connected on a three in nine of the 10 games on the year
  • Gondrezick II was in double figures for the second-straight game after his season-high 22 at Eastern Michigan his last time out

 
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