DETROIT (12/18/2025) -- One last Holiday contest has the Titans at home as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team battles Siena Heights on Saturday on Dick Vitale Court.

Game time is set for 1:00 p.m., in Calihan Hall and will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with Dan Hasty and Jeremy Otto on the call.

Tickets start at just $10 and can be purchased here. The Athletic Department is hosting a toy drive so all fans who bring a toy for donation will receive a free ticket to the game. 

The Titans are coming off a close 81-77 setback at Purdue Fort Wayne, but have won three of the last four games. Redshirt freshman Tyler Spratt scored a season-high 15 points, while sophomore TJ Nadeau led the team with 16 points.

Senior Orlando Lovejoy had eight points and six rebounds and is now just five points away from 1,000 for his career.

Detroit Mercy has taken care of business against non-Division I schools, winning 37 in a row, with the last loss coming against Wayne State in 1993, as the Titans are 262-67 (.792) all-time against non-Division I foes.

Siena Heights is 4-7 on the season and 1-6 in the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) after losing 81-69 at Madonna.

Following Christmas, the Titans will play the rest of their conference schedule, starting with a trip to Youngstown State on Dec. 29.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES

• This is the third career meeting between the two schools as the Titans have won both contests at home, taking an 80-71 decision in 2000 and a 131-69 rout in 2017. 
• In that last game, the 131 points were the fourth most in school history, while the 25 steals set a school record.
• Jermaine Jackson Jr. nearly had the first Titan triple-double since 1977, finishing with 16 points, a season-high 13 assists, and nine steals, and Kameron Chatman posted a game-high 23 points.

FACTS ABOUT 2000

• Twenty-five years have passed since the first meeting between the two schools, when Rashad Phillips netted 27 points, and Willie Green added 17. Here are some other events that happened in the year 2000.

* Everyone feared YSK to start the year
* The Top Song was Independent Woman by Destiny's Child
* The top movies were Cast Away, Erin Brockovich and Remember the Titans
* The last original "Peanuts" comic strip was published
* The U.S. presidential election between George Bush and Al Gore resulted in a prolonged legal battle over Florida's vote count
* Fusaichi Pegasus won the Kentucky Derby

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 had slated UDM anywhere from 6th-9th.

A DAUNTING SLATE

• Detroit Mercy had a challenging non-conference schedule, visiting four states and playing eight games in 26 days.
• The slate includes trips to Michigan State, Notre Dame, and DePaul, as well as UIC, Toledo, and Niagara.
• The game at MSU was intriguing as head coach Mark Montgomery faced his college coach and former boss, Tom Izzo.
• So far this season, the DI non-conference opponents have amassed a 46-31 record. 

LOCAL & GLOBAL TITANS

• Detroit Mercy will have a lot of local flair, 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.

WE HAVE OPTIONS

• The Titans are currently second in the Horizon League and 42nd in the nation, tallying 32.9 points from the bench per game.
• UDM had 59 points off the bench in the win over IU Indy. 

CLEANING THE GLASS

• UDM has hit the glass all season long and is second in the conference, recording 38.7 rebounds per game, as well as second in the league and 46th in the country with 13.6 offensive rebounds per game.
• They are coming off a 44-34 margin at Purdue Fort Wayne, where the Titans collected 15 offensive rebounds.
• At Niagara, the Titans dominated the boards, 43-27, including 14 offensive rebounds that led to 14 second-chance points. The +16 margin was the most against a DI team since outrebounding Wake Forest by 17 last year.
• Earlier in the season, the Titans had 21 offensive rebounds at UIC.

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. 
• Last season, UDM ranked 11th in the HL and 341st in DI, connecting on 5.6 per game.
• While the Titans just tied their season-best effort, going 9-of-20 from three at Purdue Fort Wayne, they have not fared that much better overall, ranking 347th in three-point shooting (28.2%) and 307th in triples per game (6.3), both last in the HL. 
• In fact, the Titans have reached double-digit 3-pointers just four times in the last 75 games - twice last year with 10 at Oakland and 11 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne.

MAKING THE FREE ONES

• The Titans are currently first in the HL and 66th in the nation at 75.5%, while their 15.1 makes per game is fourth in the league. 
• The Titans have reached double-digit made free throws in nine games this year and three games in the 20's, going 21-of-24 against IU Indy, 25-of-41 versus Cleary, and 23-of-30 at Niagara.

PROTECT THE BALL

• Detroit Mercy had just two games last season with double-digit steals, but tallied 11 in the season opener at UIC. 
• On the flip side, the Titans committed a season-low six miscues at Cleveland State, the fewest since they had six in the home win over Green Bay last year. 
• After nine turnovers at Purdue Fort Wayne, UDM has now gone four straight games with less than 10 turnovers and five times this season.

WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING

• Sophomore TJ Nadeau scored the first basket of the season and has not stopped scoring, netting double figures in seven of the 11 games, including a career-best 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 4-of-5 from three at Cleveland State.
• Earlier this season, he had 24 points on a 9-of-14 effort from the field and six triples at Notre Dame, and just scored 16 points at Purdue Fort Wayne. 
• Nadeau also has hit the boards, grabbing a season-tying six at Niagara and five at CSU, and has tallied 3.5 per game.
• He leads the squad with 12.8 points and 24 made 3-pointers and is second at the line at 86.2%. 
• Nadeau 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 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 leads the team with 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals and is third with 11.4 points per game. 
• He has a 2.3-1 assists-to-turnover ratio with 37 assists against just 16 turnovers on the season and is approaching 1,000 career points, entering the game at 995.
• He leads the HL and is seventh in the nation, hitting 93.8% at the line (30-of-32). 
• He has at least two steals in six of his 10 games and now has at least three steals in 16 games in his career.
• He had 17 points, a team-high six assists, three rebounds, and two steals at Cleveland State, and that was coming off a rare game where he didn't score against IU Indy, just the seventh time in his 92 collegiate games and the first as a Titan.  
• He posted 18 points, five assists, and two steals at Toledo, 20 points - his 10th career 20-point game - and six rebounds against Eastern Michigan, and 14 points with four assists and three steals at Michigan State.
• 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 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 - who has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury - stood out at DII Walsh University and has made an impact on offense, netting double figures in six games and grabbing at least five rebounds in four.
• He had a great all-around game with a season-high 21 points - his ninth career 20-point game - six rebounds, a career-tying four assists, and a career-high three steals against IU Indy. 
• In his DI debut at UIC, he tallied a team-high 18 points (7-14 FG) with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He had 15 points and eight boards over Cleary, 12 points and six rebounds at Toledo, and 10 points at DePaul.  
• He is second on the team with 12.2 points and 4.3 rebounds, and is hitting 43-of-78 (55.1%) from the field and 20-of-26 (76.9%) at the line.  
• 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. 
• Earlier this year, he was ordained as a minister by his church, Path2Life Ministries. 

GREAT STONE TO BUILD UPON

• Detroit Mercy freshman Lance Stone has had a good start to his career and tied his season high for the fourth time, netting 11 points with three assists against IU Indy, making 3-of-6 from three.
• He also had 11 at Niagara, hitting 9-of-11 at the line, and dished out a season-high seven assists at DePaul, the most helpers by a freshman since Anotine Davis at the end of the 2018-19 season.
• He posted 11 points with five rebounds, six assists, and three steals in his first start against Cleary and 11 points on 3-of-6 from three at Toledo.
• The son of assistant coach LaMonta Stone, he posted 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 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 BIG MAN

• The Titans reeled in a big man in 6-8, 250-lb London Maiden, and he has started to show that dominance in the paint, including back-to-back season highs.
• He had 16 points and eight rebounds at Niagara, hitting 5-of-7 from the field and 6-of-8 at the line, and then had a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds, shooting 6-of-7 from the field and 6-of-8 at the line versus IU Indy.
• After starting the year 3-of-13 shooting, Maiden has made 23-of-37 (62.1%) from the floor in the last seven games and is averaging 6.6 points and 3.0 rebounds.
• 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.

THE LEGEND OF GEETER

• Senior Legend Geeter has been a consistent presence in the middle for the Titans, especially over the last four games, where he is averaging 7.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, making 9-of-21 shots and 3-of-6 from three.
• He just had eight points, six rebounds, and three assists at Purdue Fort Wayne. Before that, he tallied seven points, nine rebounds, and five assists at Cleveland State, eight points and five rebounds against IU Indy, and seven points, four assists, and three boards versus Niagara.  
• The weekend before, he pulled down a team-high six rebounds at Michigan State and had five boards at DePaul. 
• Last season, he played in 29 games 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. He was also fourth on the team with 12 games in double figures.

SPRATT IS COMING HOME

• Detroit Mercy redshirt freshman Tyler Spratt is coming off his best collegiate game, earning Horizon League Freshman of the Week accolades.
• After coming into the game scoring just 43 points and making six 3-pointers in his first 10 games, Spratt netted a season-high 15 points, going 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-9 from three with five rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne. 
• He had eight points against IU Indy, adding a season-best three blocks, eight points and eight boards at Toledo, and eight points at DePaul.  
• He spent his freshman campaign at Cleveland State but did not play. 
• 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. 

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, but he just had his best game with a season-tying 14 points with a season-best nine rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne.
• He 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 and eight points in 18 minutes against EMU. 
• 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.

NATE THE GREAT

• Sophomore Nate Johnson - a member of the HL All-Freshmen Team - has scored at least six points in five games and pulled down at least four boards four times.  
• He had seven points and four boards at MSU and six points and four rebounds against Eastern Michigan. He started the year with seven points, four rebounds, and two steals at UIC and added seven more points at Notre Dame and nine against Cleary.  
• He was one 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.
• 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 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. 

THE RETURN OF LARY

• Senior Jared Lary had just started to find his role last season at Detroit Mercy, but suffered a knee injury at Eastern Michigan.
• He is now starting to get back into the rotation, scoring seven points at Purdue Fort Wayne, pulling down six rebounds at Niagara, and tallying seven points, a rebound, and an assist at DePaul. 
• 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.
• He was a part off the bench, scoring seven points in just five minutes of court time against IU Indy. 
• 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. He also came up with a near double-double of nine points and 10 rebounds 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.

KALAMBAY'S PLAY

• Sophomore Ryan Kalambay has started to see more time recently and has made a mark in the paint.
• He just had five points and six rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne after playing in a season-high 21 minutes and pulling down four rebounds with two blocks and two points at Cleveland State. 
• He had three points and three rebounds against IU Indy after two points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal at DePaul. 
• 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 boards on 14 occasions, including 12 of the last 16. 
• 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.

FROM THE LAND DOWN UNDER

• Detroit Mercy landed a recruit from Australia in a big way as 7-1, 235-lb Xavier Istomin-Monroe joined the Titans.
• At Niagara, he had six points and two boards, and that was after his best offensive game with eight points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal at DePaul. 
• He had three rebounds at UIC, at Notre Dame, and at Michigan State, and has a blocked shot in four of the eight 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.
•  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.