DETROIT (10/30/2025) -- Senior Orlando Lovejoy led all scorers with 21 points as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team posted a 75-67 victory over Central State on Thursday in the 1st Annual Horatio Williams Foundation Hoops & Culture Event.

The game was a part of four contests being held at the Wayne State University Fieldhouse.

Lovejoy was 7-of-11 from the field with five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Junior Ayden Carter had 12 points, seven rebounds, and two steals, and two Titans neatly had double-doubles as junior London Maiden registered nine points, two blocks, and a game-high 10 boards, and redshirt freshman Tyler Spratt posted eight points and nine caroms.

The Titans - who defeated Grand Valley State on Friday - held Central State to 32.1% shooting and 4-of-29 from downtown, forcing 15 turnovers.

The game was tied on three occasions early on, the latest at 23-23, when the Titans went on a 12-3 run. Carter had seven points in that span, knocking down a three for a 35-26 lead at the 3:39 mark.

Carter then added a layup and two free throws from Spratt pushed the advantage to 12, 39-27. Later on, sophomore TJ Nadeau rang in a three for a 42-28 lead, and a couple of free throws from Lovejoy had the squad up by 16, 44-28.

UDM opened the second half with five straight points for a 49-30 advantage. The Titans would keep a double-digit lead for most of the second half and were ahead 67-49 with 3:41 remaining when the Marauders closed the game on a run to make the margin single digits. 

Sophomore Nate Johnson and freshman Je'Kel Cotton each scored seven points, and senior Legend Geeter finished with two points, five rebounds, and two steals. 

The win gave the Titans a perfect preseason record for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign.

The red, white and blue will officially open the season on Monday as the Titans head to the Windy City for a match-up with former Horizon League rival UIC. 

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