FORT WAYNE, Ind. (1/11/2025) --
 Freshman TJ Nadeau tallied 20 points to lead three freshmen in double figures, but a shorthanded University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team ran out of steam in a 90-67 setback at Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday.

Nadeau was 7-of-13 from the field with three 3-pointers and also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Freshman Nate Johnson tallied a season-high 19 points, going 6-of-12 from the field, 3-of-3 from three, and 4-of-4 at the line with six boards, while redshirt freshman Grant Gondrezick II posted 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists. 

The Titans played with just eight players - six of those freshmen - as juniors Orlando Lovejoy and Legend Geeter and freshman Stephen Okoro all missed the game with an injury, and they are already without senior Mak Manciel and junior Jared Lary, who are out for the season. 

The young Titans (6-13, 2-6 HL) saw Purdue Fort Wayne race out to an 11-2 lead just two minutes into the game. The Mastodons (13-6, 6-2 HL) then had a 21-13 lead when the red, white and blue scored seven in a row to pull within one. Johnson had a layup and a three, and Gondrezick II's floater made it 21-20 with 10:43 left.

Later on, Gondrezick II made two free throws, and Nadeau drilled a three, and it was just a one-point game again at 26-25 with just under seven minutes remaining, but Purdue Fort Wayne answered with an 11-0 spurt. With under a minute to go, freshman Ryan Kalambay got an offensive rebound and putback, Gondrezick II hit a jumper, and Detroit Mercy was down just 41-34 at the break.

The Titans continued to attack to start the second half as Nadeau began the stanza with a three, and the next time down the court, he hit a jumper and was fouled, connected on the free throw to make it a 41-40 contest before Johnson knotted it at 43-all with a 3-pointer at the 18:17 mark.

The Mastodons stopped that run and raised the deficit to seven, but back came UDM, with Nadeau sinking a three and splitting a pair at the line for a 52-51 score with 11:56 remaining.

The Titans were within two, 57-55, after Kalambay hit two free throws with 9:53 on the court, but then they ran out of gas as Purdue Fort Wayne went on a 17-2 offensive spurt in the next four minutes to take control.

Kalambay finished with six points and three rebounds and freshman Chase Kuiper pulled down three boards.

The Titans shot 41.2% from the field (21-of-51) and were 7-of-18 (38.9%) from three and 18-of-23 (78.3%) at the free-throw line. 

Detroit Mercy will now get ready for the #MetroSeries as the Titans host Oakland next Saturday, Jan. 18, at Calihan Hall, with tip-off set for 1:00 p.m.


Game Notes:

• Purdue Fort Wayne now leads the all-time series, 7-6, including 4-1 at home
• The Titans have dropped 14 straight Horizon League road games, with their last win at Oakland, 96-74, on Feb. 17, 2023 
• UDM came into the game fourth in the Horizon League hitting at 34.0% from downtown and were 7-of-18 (38.9%) on the day
• The seven 3-pointers were the most since draining 11 against the Mastodons in the home win in December
• Detroit Mercy has outrebounded its opponents in 11 of its 19 games as the Titans are third in the Horizon League and 62nd in the country with 38.8 rebounds per game
• UDM has made double-digit free throws in 14 of its 19 games
• Nadeau is the fifth different Titan to score 20 points in a game joining Lovejoy, Geeter, Manciel and Gondrezick II 
• Nadeau's previous season high was 16 at Eastern Michigan, while he had nine rebounds at Wake Forest
• Nadeau has made a three in 14 of his 19 games on the season, while he also had three 3-pointers in the first meeting with the Mastodons
• Johnson now has six games in double figures and 16 games with three or more rebounds
• Johnson's previous high was 13 points at Loyola Chicago
• Gondrezick II has now reached double figures in eight of the last 11 games - three of those reaching 20 - after scoring just 16 total points in his first seven
• Gondrezick II has five assists in three different games (against Cleary, Milwaukee, Purdue Fort Wayne)
• Gondrezick II has at least five rebounds in four games
• Kalambay's season-high in points is eight against Cleary

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