CLEVELAND (1/22/2025) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team had an early lead in the second half, but the offense went dormant in the final 17 minutes as the Titans dropped a 65-50 decision at first-place Cleveland State on Wednesday night.
Junior
Orlando Lovejoy posted 14 points, four rebounds and three assists, while freshman
Ryan Kalambay had 10 points and nine boards.
The Titans (6-15, 2-8 HL) led by as many as nine in the second half, 43-34, but Cleveland State (15-6, 9-1 HL) erased that with a 15-0 run over nine minutes and outscored UDM 31-7 in the final 17 minutes.
Detroit Mercy started strong as Kalambay had back-to-back baskets for a 4-0 lead. CSU jumped ahead at 14-11, but a three from freshman
TJ Nadeau and a dunk by freshman
Miles Mitchell had UDM up 16-14 midway through the first half.
The Titans led by four, 20-16, as junior
Legend Geeter went inside for a bucket and redshirt freshman
Grant Gondrezick II hit a jumper, and the lead grew to five, 22-17, as graduate senior
Emmanuel Kuac had an offensive rebound and putback.
Detroit Mercy would push its advantage to seven, 30-23, with 3:12 left in the half as Lovejoy hit a floater and Geeter made two at the line as the red, white and blue went into the break ahead 34-29.
In the second half, the Titans stretched their lead to nine, 43-34, at the 16:47 mark with seven straight points, but from there, the Vikings would start their comeback.
Nadeau had seven points, three rebounds, and two assists. Geeter netted six points, with five rebounds and two assists, and Gondrezick II ended with five points and two caroms.
Detroit Mercy shot 40.4% from the field after hitting 15-of-24 shots (62.5%) in the first half and held CSU to 4-of-24 from three.
The Titans will head to Wright State on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m., tip.
Game Notes:
- Cleveland State has now won seven of the last nine, but Detroit Mercy still leads the all-time series, 47-32
- UDM has now dropped five straight and 19 of the last 23 (wins in 2010, 2016, 2018, 2021) in Cleveland, as it is 14-24 on the road in the match-up
- Detroit Mercy has now used 13 different starting line-ups on the season
- UDM had made double-digit free throws in six straight games before going 6-of-9 tonight
- Detroit Mercy came into the game second in the Horizon League and 79th in the country with 38.1 rebounds per game and, fourth in the HL and 63rd in the country with 12.6 offensive boards per game
- The Titans are currently third in the HL in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding teams to 32.6% from distance
- Lovejoy has scored in double figures in 14 games, grabbed at least three rebounds in 17 games and has at least three assists in 15 games
- Lovejoy also has at least one steal in 17 games with seven multi-steal contests
- Nadeau has netted at least seven points in 13 of the 21 games
- Nadeau has now connected on a three in 16 of his 21 contests
- Johnson has registered 18 games with three or more rebounds
- After posting just 37 points and recording 46 rebounds in his first 19 games, Kalambay now has 23 points and 20 boards in the last two contests as he had 13 points and 10 rebounds against Oakland
