DETROIT (2/9/2024) -- Off one of its best offensive performances of the season, the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will look to keep it going as the Titans head to NKU on Saturday.

Game time is set for 4:00 p.m., at Truist Arena and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN App. 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.

Detroit Mercy shot a season-high 59.6% at Wright State on Thursday, its best effort since tallying 66.0% in a win against Green Bay in 2021. Sophomore Marcus Tankersley led four Titans in double figures by tying his career-high with 29 points, while junior Mak Manciel posted a career-best 20 points. 

NKU ended a three-game slide with a 99-89 overtime victory over Oakland on Thursday as the Norse moved to 12-12 on the season and 7-6 in the Horizon League. 

In the first match-up back at Calihan Hall, Stone netted 27 points and Tankersley had 22 in an 81-76 setback. 

Following the game, the Titans will return home as the red, white and blue host IUPUI on Wednesday, Feb. 14, and Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 17. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Titans have dropped four in a row and six of the last eight as the Norse lead the all-time series, 14-4.
• Detroit Mercy is also 2-8 all-time on the road in the match-up. 

LOOKING TO END THE SLIDE

• The Titans - whose last win came against Purdue Fort Wayne in last year's conference tournament - have lost 26 in a row dating back to last season, a school record surpassing the 15 straight between the end of 1986-87 and the 0-14 start of 1987-88.
• It is also a HL record moving past the 23 straight Cleveland State lost in 2003-04 

SAD NEWS FROM TITAN TERRITORY

• It is with heavy hearts that Detroit Mercy received word that Titan Hall-Of-Famer, NBA champion and Detroit ambassador Earl "The Twirl" Cureton suddenly passed away on Sunday, Feb. 4, at the age of 66.
• He had served as a color analyst on Titan broadcast for almost 20 years, and the last game he did this past Saturday was Detroit Mercy-Robert Morris, two schools where he is in the Hall of Fame. 
• A 12-year NBA veteran and a two-time NBA champion, Cureton suited up for the Titans from 1977-80, playing two seasons after sitting out following his transfer from Robert Morris, a junior college at the time.
• He averaged 11.7 points and a team-high 9.0 rebounds with 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game in 1978-79 and then topped the team in scoring (20.0) and rebounding (9.1) to go with 1.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks and steals in 1979-80. He is still 12th all-time in school history in career blocks with 79 - second when he graduated - and was inducted into the Titan Hall of Fame in 2007 and had his famed No. 24 jersey retired by UDM on Jan. 23, 2020.
• Drafted by Philadelphia with the 58th pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, Cureton began his professional career in the 1980-1981 season as the 76ers advanced to the NBA Finals during his rookie season. They would later break through to win the 1983 title, and he was also part of the Houston Rockets championship team in 1994.
• In his 12 years in the NBA, he played for seven playoff teams, including three years in the mid-1980s with the hometown Pistons. He scored a career-high 25 points with 14 rebounds off the bench in a 129-113 Pistons win over the Nuggets on Jan. 17, 1986, and posted a career-best 18 boards as a member of the Clippers against the Rockets on Apr. 7, 1987.

STARTING TO SURGE

• The Titans have struggled on offense but have picked it up in the last eight games, averaging 73.9 points after tallying just 60.1 in their first 17 games. 
• Detroit Mercy has registered double-digit assists in six of the eight games, with 97 helpers on its 208 field goals. 
• UDM has shot over 46.0% in three straight games and is coming off a season-high 59.6% at Wright State, its best mark since hitting 66.0% against Green Bay in 2021. 
• They had a season-high 99 points at Robert Morris, along with a season-best 17 assists. 
• The 99 points were the most since a 101-83 victory against Green Bay at home in 2019 and the most points on the road since a 115-108 setback at Green Bay in 2016. 
• UDM's 36 field goals at RMU were the most since connecting on 39 versus Green Bay in 2019.

SHOWING SOME DEFENSE

• Detroit Mercy has forced double-digit turnovers in 16 games this season. UDM also has at least 10 steals in five games this year, forcing 16 turnovers with a season-tying 12 steals at Milwaukee.
• The Titans' defense forced Robert Morris into 20. UDM also had 33 turnovers in a weekend series at home as Green Bay had 15 and Milwaukee committed 18. They also recorded 11 steals against the Panthers.
• Earlier this year, they forced Ball State into a season-high 21 turnovers with a season-best 12 steals. 
• UDM is fifth in the HL with 6.8 steals per game. 

EARNING POINTS AT THE LINE

• The Titans have made double-digit free throws in 16 of the last 19 games, going 231-of-311 (73.5%) in that span.
• UDM made 22-of-27 at Green Bay and connected on a season-high 25-of-26 free throws against NKU, the most since hitting 28-of-31 at Milwaukee in a 90-84 victory in 2020, while the 26 free throw attempts tied a season-high with the 20-of-26 effort at Central Michigan.
• The Titans are fourth in the HL in free-throw percentage at 72.6%. 
• They have two of the best in the league as Jayden Stone is eighth at 78.7% and Marcus Tankersley is 12th at 77.9%. 

A PRECIOUS STONE

• Senior Jayden Stone returned to action against NKU after missing six games, and quickly reestablished himself as one of the top scorers in the Horizon League in the last eight games at 22.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists. 
• He just had 19 points at Wright State, and that was after his 10th 20-point contest of the year with a game-high 25 points against Robert Morris with six rebounds. He netted 28 points against Cleveland State and 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists at Green Bay.
• He recorded his second double-double of the year with 15 points, a career-high 10 assists, six boards, and two steals at Milwaukee.
• He had a monster game with a career-high 36 points and grabbing a season-high 10 rebounds, playing 49 of a possible 50 minutes at Robert Morris, while adding four assists, two steals, and a block. 
• He had a then career-best 34 points against Eastern Michigan, hitting 12-of-15 from the field and 4-of-7 from three with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. 
• Stone led the team with 18 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three assists against Ball State, the most steals by a Titan since 2017.
• He now has two 30-point efforts - tied for second in the HL - and 10 20-point performances - tied for fourth in the league - in just 19 games played this season.
• Stone is averaging a league-best 20.3 points along with 2.4 triples, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists, top 15 in the HL in all three. 
• He has played in 32 career games with the Titans and has netted 20 or more 15 times, been in double figures 25 times, grabbed five or more rebounds on 22 occasions, including 15 times this year, and recorded three double-doubles.

SCORE IT MARK

• Sophomore Marcus Tankersley has now scored 20 or more seven times on the year after matching his career high with 29 points on 9-of-14 shooting, a career-high three triples, and handing out a career-best six assists at Wright State.
• Tankersley netted 24 points against Robert Morris and tallied a game-high 23 points against Youngstown State on 7-of-15 shooting. That was after a career-high 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting and 9-of-9 at the line, with three boards and three assists at Robert Morris and 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 9-of-10 at the line versus NKU.  
• Dating back to last season, he has now scored in double figures in 22 of the last 27 games and is tallying 15.6 points on the year - ninth in the HL - shooting 43.3% from the field - 14th in the conference.
• In the non-conference, he had 20 at NC State with a career-tying three steals and recorded his first career double-double with a then-career-best 23 points and 11 rebounds at Northwestern.

DEL CADIA NETS CAREER BEST

• Graduate senior Edoardo Del Cadia has three double-doubles - tied for eighth in the HL - as he continues to showcase some fine all-around play as a post-player.
• He just scored 12 points on 6-of-6 from the field with three steals, two blocks and two assists. He ended with 11 points, nine rebounds and two steals against Cleveland State. 
• He registered a career-best 17 points on 8-of-15 from the field with three steals and three rebounds against Youngstown State.  
• He had a then career-high 16 points and grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne and posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards at NC State in just 22 minutes.
• He tallied a career-best 16 points with 10 boards at Ole Miss, to go with three assists, a block and a steal.  
• He has now scored in double figures in 11 games and has grabbed at least five rebounds in 14 as he is currently averaging 8.8 points, 5.9 rebounds - 13th in the HL - 1.7 assists and shooting 53.4% (73-of-142) from the field, which would be fifth in the league but he doesn't have enough attempts to qualify.  

RETURN OF THE MAK

• Junior Mak Manciel is coming off his best game, scoring a career-high 20 points, connecting on 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-7 from three at Wright State. 
• He got his game going against NKU, recording 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting with four rebounds. He came back with 16 points on 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 from three with a season-high five assists at Robert Morris and added 10 points at Green Bay and Cleveland State.
• He started the year 6-of-42 (14.2%) from the field, but is shooting just over 39.7% (33-of-83) in the last 12 games, going in double figures in five of them. 
• He scored five points and tied his season best with six rebounds at IUPUI and had four points, six rebounds and a team-high four assists at NC State.
• Last year, he was at Arkansas State, but missed last season due to a knee injury.
• He was a First Team 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.

KUAC FINALLY BREAKING THREW

• Graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac started the season recovering from a past injury and had a slow start, but he showed what he could do when healthy at Milwaukee.
• He drained 7-of-13 from deep en route to a career-high 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting overall to go with a season-high eight rebounds, a career-tying three steals and a block at Milwaukee. 
• Kuac had scored just 14 total points and was 3-of-22 from three entering the game and his career-high was 11 against Norfolk State as a member of New Mexico in 2021.
• The last Titan to make seven triples in a game was Antoine Davis last year at Oakland.
• He had a team-high five rebounds with a career-tying three blocks against NKU. He recorded three points, four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal against Green Bay.
• He missed the first 12 games, recovering from an injury sustained before his arrival at UDM. Kuac saw action in 47 games in his four years at New Mexico - averaging 2.7 points and 3.6 rebounds - but played in just six games as a junior and one as a senior.

MOTOR CITY PRIDE

• Senior Kyle LeGreair has 11 multi-assist games this year after having two helpers and a steal at Wright State. He now has a steal in nine of the last 12 games and 15 on the season, with multi-steal games on three occasions.  
• He had a season-high five points and a season-tying five rebounds with two assists and a steal against Milwaukee. 
• He scored four points with three assists and two rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne and posted two points, four rebounds and three assists at NC State. 
• He registered five rebounds and three assists at Ole Miss, two steals at Ohio and three assists against Oakland. 

 DAVIS COMING ALIVE

• Sophomore Tyree Davis has had some good moments in his first year with the Titans. 
• He scored six points with three boards at Robert Morris. He notched four points, five rebounds, and two steals against Milwaukee, and that was after a season-high six boards versus Green Bay. 
• He had five points, two steals, two rebounds, and a block at Loyola Marymount, and eight points and five boards at Northwestern. 
• Davis provided some energy and great minutes against Oakland, making 4-of-5 from the field and ending with eight points, four rebounds, and his first two blocks. 
• 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., 40.8% from three and 83.0% at the line. 

MY FAVORITE COLOR IS PINK

• Junior Jamail Pink - who missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury - has been seeing more action this season. He had seven points at Milwaukee, and that was after eight points against Youngstown State, connecting on three field goals and a 3-pointer in both games.  
• He set a career-high with 11 points at Central Michigan, going 3-of-7 from the field with a pair of triples and had five points and three boards against Milwaukee. 
• He gave the Titans some vital minutes in his first start at Southern Illinois Edwardsville, scoring six points on a pair of 3-pointers and registering two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in a career-high 29 minutes.
• He hit all six of his free throws for six points to go with two steals at LMU and scored five points with three boards and two assists at Northwestern.

OLAJUWON IN THE BOOKS

• Redshirt freshman Abdullah Olajuwon has done a lot of the small things in his playing time.
• He has three games this season with at least two blocks, 11 games with a steal - including six straight - and five games with at least five rebounds. 
• He had a career day at Purdue Fort Wayne, scoring a career-best 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting with five rebounds. He pulled down five boards with a steal at Green Bay, and that was after four points, three rebounds, and two steals at Milwaukee.
• In the first meeting with the Panthers, he tied his season-high with eight rebounds. 
• Against Oakland, he registered two points, four rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists and added four points, a team-high eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals at Ohio.
• Olajuwon scored his first basket in the season opener at Toledo and added two more points with six boards at Cincinnati.
• He is now 1,295 points behind his dad, Hakeem Olajuwon, who netted 1,332 in three years at Houston from 1981-84.

WELCOME NEWBIES

• A pair of freshmen made their collegiate debuts at Loyola Marymount and got right into the thick of things.
• Ryan Hurst - who has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since the start of practice in October - had a season-high 22 points at IUPUI, shooting 8-of-18 from the field, the first 20-point game by a Titan freshman since Antoine Davis in 2018-19.
• He started his career with 13 points, four rebounds and a steal at LMU and came back with a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds at Central Michigan before sitting out at NC State.
• Meanwhile, Michael Oaks - who signed with the Titans out of a prep school in early December, enrolled early and was immediately eligible - had five points and two blocks at LMU.
• He had a season-high six points, two rebounds and two blocks against Cleveland State. 
• He grabbed seven rebounds at CMU and had two points, three caroms and a block at NC State and four points, two rebounds and a steal at Milwaukee. 

ON THE MEND

• The Titans have seen their share of injuries this season that have seen Ryan Hurst (20), Emmanuel Kuac (13), Trenton Johnson (15), Oton Jankovic (12), Jamail Pink (7), Jayden Stone (6), Donovann Toatley (3), Abdullah Olajuwon (3) and Mak Manciel (1) all miss games due to injuries or illness, adding up to 80 missed contests. The coaching staff has already announced that Hurst and Johnson will miss the rest of the year, while Jankovic and Toatley are no longer with the team.
• In addition, senior Alex Tchikou has not played for personal reasons, and junior Jonathan Ammori will miss the rest of the season due to eligibility requirements.