Men's Basketball 11.13.25

Titans Open Border War Weekend At Toledo On Saturday

Men's Basketball 11.13.25

Titans Open Border War Weekend At Toledo On Saturday

Junior London Maiden and the Titans will look to win on the road.

DETROIT (11/13/2025) -- It will be an intense weekend for the Titans as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team opens a rivalry weekend with a trip to Toledo on Saturday

Game time is set for 1:00 p.m., at Savage Arena and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

It is part of a border war weekend with the Rockets, with the women's team playing there on Sunday.

Detroit Mercy and Toledo have met 64 times, the 10th-most of any opponent in school history and the second-most against any team that has never been a conference rival. The schools are about 80 miles apart and first met in 1916.

The Titans picked up a big first win of the season by trampling Cleary, 92-54. Sophomore TJ Nadeau had a team-high 16 points, while junior Ayden Carter scored 15 and freshman Keshawn Fisher added 14.

Toledo is 1-2 on the year, falling at home to South Alabama and Marshall before defeating Wright State on the road, 81-71.

After the game, the Titans will have a busy week hosting Eastern Michigan on Tuesday and traveling to Michigan State and DePaul later in the week.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES

The match-up between the Titans and Rockets is the 65th in this rivalry that dates back to 1916, as Toledo leads the all-time series, 39-25.
Detroit Mercy has dropped seven in a row in the battle, with the last victory a 75-72 home triumph in 2015. The seven-game streak is the longest by either team in the series.
UDM is 7-24 all-time on the road, with its last win coming in 2014, 82-79.

A GAME HERE OR THERE

UDM's 64 games against Toledo are the 10th most against any foe in school history.
Since Loyola, Xavier, Marquette, and Butler were all league rivals at one point, the 64 battles are the second-most against a full non-conference team, behind the 81 contests versus Eastern Michigan.

Top Foes In Titan History
Loyola (IL) - 136
Xavier - 95
Marquette - 88
Eastern Michigan - 81
Cleveland State - 80
Butler - 73
Wright State - 71
Green Bay - 70
Milwaukee - 65
Toledo - 64

A QUICK LOOK BACK TO LAST YEAR

The game featured 14 lead changes as Detroit Mercy fell 82-67.
Orlando Lovejoy tallied 12 points and three boards, and TJ Nadeau had points to go with three rebounds.
Lovejoy netted it at 43-43 with 15:28 remaining, but Toledo went on a 21-9 run for a 64-52 score with under seven minutes on the clock. Nadeau rang in a three to cut it to nine, 64-55, but that was as close as Detroit Mercy would get the rest of the way.

FUN FACTS ABOUT 1916

Here are some facts about 1916 when the Titans and Rockets first met.

* Mr. Peanut from Planters' brand peanuts was created by 13-year-old Antonio Gentile, for a contest in 1916
* First true self-service supermarket "Piggly Wiggly" opens in Memphis, Tennessee
* The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) was created
* Albert Einstein published his Theory of Relativity
* Due to the outbreak of World War I, the 1916 Summer Olympics in Berlin was canceled

I KNOW YOU

Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk knows Detroit Mercy well. He spent eight years as head coach at Horizon League member Green Bay from 2002-10 before taking the Toledo job, and he has a 17-12 record against the Titans.
Meanwhile, Mark Montgomery and coach Kowalczyk were conference rivals in the MAC when Monty was at NIU from 2011-2021, as the Huskies were 10-11 against UT.

JUST SPECULATION

The Titans were picked to finish ninth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, while senior Orlando Lovejoy was named First Team All-HL.
Other publications have slated UDM anywhere from 6th-9th, while Lance Stone and Keshawn Fisher have earned Freshman Of The Year nods by the Horizone Roundtable and Mid Major Madness, respectively.

A DAUNTING SLATE

Detroit Mercy will have a challenging non-conference schedule, visiting four states and playing eight games in the first 26 days of the season.
The slate includes trips to Michigan State, Notre Dame, and DePaul, as well as UIC, Toledo, and Niagara.
The game at Michigan State is particularly intriguing as head coach Mark Montgomery will face his college coach and former boss, Tom Izzo.

LOCAL & GLOBAL TITANS

Detroit Mercy will have a lot of local flair this year, as eight of the 14 Titans hail from Michigan, including six from the Detroit Metro area.
Along with those Titans, Detroit Mercy also has three players from Ohio, a student-athlete from Nevada, and two from out of the country in Canada and Australia.

LOOKING FOR THAT SWEET SHOT

One of the Titans' offseason emphases was shooting and getting more shots up, which they did in the season opener, hoisting 77 shots, including 40 from behind the arc, at UIC. It was the second-most 3-point attempts in school history at UIC.
UDM then went 28-of-67 at Notre Dame and 30-of-64 in the win over Cleary.
Last season, they were seventh in the Horizon League, hitting at 33.0% from three, ranked 11th in the HL and 341st in DI, connecting on 5.6 per game, and 11th in the conference and 347th in the country with just 17.0 attempts per game.
In fact, the red, white, and blue had just two games on the year with double-digit 3-pointers (10 at Oakland, 11 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne) and have now reached that mark just four times in the last 67 games.

MAKING THE FREE ONES

The Titans took advantage of the free throw line last year, ranking fourth in the Horizon League at 73.5% and tallying double-digit free throws 24 times.
They got off to a good start, going 15-of-20 at the line at UIC, and were 25-of-41 versus Cleary.

GIVE ME THAT BALL

Detroit Mercy had just two games last season with double-digit steals, but tallied 11 in the season opener at UIC.
Eight Titans came away with a steal, including two apiece in Orlando Lovejoy, Nate Johnson, and Ayden Carter.

WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING

Sophomore TJ Nadeau scored the first basket of the season and had five points at UIC, but was on fire at Notre Dame, posting a career-best 24 points on a career-high 9-of-14 from the field and six triples.
He also led the team with 16 points in the win over Cleary.
He was one of three Titans to appear in all 32 games last year, with 16 starts, and registered 8.9 points - second on the team - 3.5 rebounds - sixth on the squad - while hitting 36.1% from the field, 34.3% from three, and 86.0% at the line, playing in 24.4 minutes a night.
He led the team with 48, 3-pointers - connecting on a three in 25 of the 32 games - and was second with 100 total field goals.
He reached double figures 11 times and had at least five caroms in 10 contests.
He really came on as the season went along, going from 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds, shooting 28.9% from the field in the non-conference to 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds, shooting 39.7% overall and 36.1% from distance in conference action.

OUR PRIDE AND JOY

Preseason All-Horizon League guard senior Orlando Lovejoy had his all-around game with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals at UIC, and then dished out a team-high six assists at Notre Dame.
He missed the game against Cleary due to personal issues.
He started all 30 games he saw action in last year, leading the team at 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, shooting 44.7% overall and 86.7% at the line, ranking in the top 10 in the HL in scoring (4th), assists (7th), steals (2nd), field-goal percentage (8th), free-throw percentage (2nd) and minutes played (2nd - 35:05).
Lovejoy netted double figures in 24 games, grabbed at least three rebounds in 26 games and six on nine occasions, registered at least three assists in 23 games and five or more in eight, and secured at least one steal in 25 games with 10 multi-steal contests.
He tallied nine 20-point games on the season, tied for the eighth most in the HL.
He scored 28 points against Rhode Island, going 10-of-20 from the field, with seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals, and had a career-high 32 points with nine rebounds against Robert Morris, going 13-of-21 from the field, and 20 points with a career-tying 10 rebounds for his second career double-double, along with five assists, versus Milwaukee.
One of the most impressive stats is that the 6-3 guard is an old-style type of player, making just four total 3-pointers on the season as he looks to penetrate and kick it out. In fact, in six of his 20-point outings, he did not even attempt a three.

AC BRINGING THE FAITH

Junior Ayden Carter stood out at DII Walsh University and really made an impact in his DI debut, tallying a team-high 18 points (7-14 FG) with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals at UIC.
He came back with eight points and four rebounds at Notre Dame and 15 points and eight boards over Cleary.
Through three games, he is second on the team with 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, hitting 15-of-26 (57.7%) from the field.
At Walsh, he played in 50 games and tallied 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting 46.2% from the field and 80.4% at the free-throw line.
As a sophomore, he led the squad at 19.0 points, was second with 5.7 rebounds, and third with 1.7 assists. Carter scored in double figures in 19 of his 20 games and netted eight 20-point games, including a career-high 34 points and 12 rebounds against Northwood.
As a freshman, he helped the team win the G-MAC and make the NCAA Tournament, playing in all 30 games and averaging 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds.
Earlier this year, he was ordained as a minister by his church, Path2Life Ministries.

NATE THE GREAT

Sophomore Nate Johnson - a member of the Horizon League All-Freshmen Team - had seven points, four rebounds, and two steals in the season opener at UIC and added seven more points at UND and nine against Cleary.
He was another part of the freshmen trio who played in all 32 games, making 31 starts, and posted 8.8 points - third on the team - 4.5 rebounds - second on the team - and 1.7 assists, hitting 38.6% from the field and 30.1% from three in 29.8 minutes of court time.
His 98 field goals were third on the team, while his 31, 3-pointers were second.
Johnson registered 13 games in double figures, 17 games with five or more rebounds, and nine games with at least two assists.
He pulled down a season-high 10 boards and finished with six points and three assists at Youngstown State, and scored a season-high 19 points, hitting 6-of-12 from the field, 3-of-3 from three, and 4-of-4 at the line, with six rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Johnson's cousin is former Titan standout Wilbert McCormick, who played from 1977-80 and is second in school history with 611 assists. Two cousins played college basketball in Xavier Johnson (Colorado State) and Raquan Battle (West Virginia), while another cousin, Morgan Tuck, played at Connecticut and won four NCAA titles before winning a WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm in 2020.

THE LEGEND OF GEETER

Senior Legend Geeter had two points, two assists, a steal, and tied for the team lead with five rebounds in the season opener at UIC, and had three points, three boards, and a block at Notre Dame.
He played in 29 games, starting 16, and tallied 7.9 points - fifth on the team - 4.1 rebounds - third on the squad - and 1.3 assists, shooting 41.2% from the field, 35.6% from three, and 80.3% at the line. His 83 field goals were also fourth on the team as he scored in double figures in 12 games.
On the glass, he posted at least three rebounds in 22 games and grabbed at least two offensive rebounds in 12 games.
He recorded a career-high 22 points, going 9-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from distance, ringing in the game-winning triple against Purdue Fort Wayne, while corralling nine boards and also had 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists at Oakland.

GREAT STONE TO BUILD UPON

Detroit Mercy freshman Lance Stone had his best collegiate game, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds, six assists, and three steals in his first start against Cleary.
He began his career with six points, three rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal at UIC.
The son of assistant coach LaMonta Stone, he was a three-star and a top-five recruit in Michigan by 247 Sports and ESPN, as well as a top 55 point guard by ESPN, after tallying over 1,500 career points and breaking the Michigan high school record in assists, with more than 850 helpers in his career.
Stone was a four-time All-State selection, who was named Third Team as a freshman and First Team by the Detroit News and Associated Press as a sophomore and senior. He was tabbed Detroit Mr. Basketball as a junior, the first time a junior ever received the honor, and a Mr. Basketball finalist as a senior after tallying 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 11.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS

Freshman Keshawn Fisher had a good start to his collegiate career, recording 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting, with a pair of 3-pointers at UIC.
He then netted seven points and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds at Notre Dame and had 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in just 14 minutes of action against Cleary.
Fisher is currently averaging 11.0 points and 3.3 rebounds, shooting 46.7% (14-of-30) from the field.
He was a three-star recruit and had an 85 rating on 247Sports.com after prepping at Overtime Elite Academy in Atlanta, an institution that has produced top 10 NBA draft picks Rob Dillingham, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, and Alex Sarr in the last few years.
In his lone season at OTE, he posted 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks, and was a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year.
At River Rouge High School, he was named All-State First Team by the Detroit News and the AP as a senior after tallying 25.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks, shooting 50.6% from the field and 35.7% from three.

SPRATT IS COMING HOME

Detroit Mercy brought back a hometown kid when redshirt freshman Tyler Spratt transferred to UDM.
He had seven points at Notre Dame and five points with eight rebounds and two assists in the win over Cleary.
He spent his freshman campaign at Cleveland State but did not appear in a game for the Vikings.
In high school, he was All-League as a sophomore, junior, and senior, and All-State as a junior and senior. He posted 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 3.0 assists as a senior and was a McDonald's All-American nominee.
He is very familiar with the Horizon League, not only as a player on a 20-win CSU squad, but also because his cousin, Kay Felder, played for Oakland and was the Horizon League Player of the Year in 2016, and would go on to play in the NBA.

KALAMBAY'S PLAY

Sophomore Ryan Kalambay had four points, three rebounds, a block, and a steal in just seven minutes in the season opener at UIC.
He was one of three Titans to appear in all 32 games, making 15 starts, and averaging 3.5 points and 3.8 rebounds, while hitting 53.0% from the field in 18.2 minutes a night.
He also led the team with 25 blocks and was second with 21 steals.
Just like rookie teammates Nate Johnson and TJ Nadeau, he grew as the season progressed going from just 37 points (1.9), 46 (2.4) rebounds, eight blocks, and 12 steals in just 11.4 minutes of action in his first 19 games to 77 points (5.9), 75 boards (5.7), 16 rejections, and 11 takeaways playing 25.9 minutes in the last 13.
He posted at least five rebounds on 14 occasions, including 12 times in the last 16 games.
Kalambay tallied his first career double-double with a season-high 13 points and 11 rebounds to go with an assist, a block, and a steal against Oakland and came back with a near double-double, finishing with 10 points, nine boards, and two blocks, shooting 5-of-8, at Cleveland State.

THE BIG MAN

The Titans reeled in a big man in 6-8, 250-lb London Maiden, and he tied for the team lead with five rebounds at UIC.
Before the Titans, he played at Blinn College, where he averaged 11.4 points and 6.2 rebounds, shooting 59.2% from the field and 71.0% from the line as a sophomore, earning NJCAA All-Region XIV Honors. He posted 19 games in double figures and collected three double-doubles.
He was also at Mars Hill College as a freshman, after redshirting at Kent State.

THE RETURN OF LARY

Senior Jared Lary had just started to find his role at Detroit Mercy, but suffered a knee injury at Eastern Michigan and missed the last 21 games of the season.
An all-around player, he had two points, three rebounds, and four assists against Cleary.
He started six of the nine games he saw action in last season, recording 9.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, shooting 42.7% from the field and 40.0% from behind the arc.
He had 11 points, six rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a block against Niagara and netted a season-high 15 points - all in the second half - shooting 6-of-9 overall and 3-of-4 from three, with four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block at Ball State.

THE PRIZE FROM OHIO

The Titans landed one of Ohio's top recruits in 6-6 freshman Je'kel Cotton.
In his collegiate debut, he had two points and four rebounds in just eight minutes of action at UIC and pulled down seven caroms at Notre Dame before coming up with a near double-double of nine points and 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes in the win over Cleary.
In high school, he was All-State as a senior after averaging 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds, netting a career-high 40 points.
He also topped his team in scoring as a junior at 17.3 points per game to go with 7.0 rebounds until an injury ended his season.
Cotton was ranked a three-star and a top-10 recruit in Ohio by 247 Sports and was a Toledo top-64 player.

FROM THE LAND DOWN UNDER

Detroit Mercy landed a recruit from Australia in a big way as 7-1, 2350-lb Xavier Istomin-Monroe joined the Titans.
He had three rebounds at UIC and at Notre Dame and two more against Cleary, while blocking a shot in all three games.
He is only the second Australia-born Titan following Jayden Stone (2022-24).
As a prep, he won U-18 titles in both Canada and Australia.
Last season, he was at the Royal Crown Academic School in Toronto, helping the team win a NPA title, after averaging 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. He earned finals MVP after posting a season-high 22 points and eight rebounds in the championship game, and also helped the school to back-to-back CIS crowns in 2023 and 2024.
In his homeland, he suited up for the City of Sydney basketball association, leading the team to a Melbourne Classic U-18 national title in 2023.

HITTING THE VEGAS JACKPOT

Freshman Zak Abdalla has had sports in his bloodline from an early age.
He just scored five points with a rebound and an assist against Cleary.
He played his senior year at Trinity Prep in Las Vegas and tallied 15.0 points in the PRO16/NXTPRO league, an Official Grassroots Partners of PUMA.
As a senior, he recorded 27.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and that was after being named All-State First Team at Foothill High School.
His dad played soccer at UNLV - leaving the Rebels as the program leader for most saves in a season (101) and a career (321) - and also coached women's soccer at UNLV and TCU before moving into college athletic administration. His uncle played soccer at UCLA, and his grandfather, Tim Grgurich, played baseball and basketball at Pittsburgh, later coached at Pitt, and served as an NBA assistant coach.