YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (12/29/2025) -- The blue-collar defense held Youngstown State to just 32.8% from the field, and the offense went on a 24-4 run midway through the game as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team went on the road and downed the Penguins, 73-68, on Monday.
The win ended an eight-game slide to YSU and moved Detroit Mercy to 6-7 overall and 3-1 in the Horizon League for the first time since 2021-22.
Senior
Orlando Lovejoy had 22 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals, going 6-of-12 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 at the free-throw line. Freshman
Keshawn Fisher tallied 15 points, seven boards, three assists, two blocks, and a steal, and sophomore
Ryan Kalambay added seven points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and a career-high five blocks.
Not only did the defense force Youngstown State (8-6, 2-2 HL) to just 22-of-67 from the field, but also just 10-of-38 from the outside. In the first half alone, the Titan defense was the story as UDM held the Penguins to just 9-of-35 from the field and 4-of-18 from three.
The Titans led 27-25 with two minutes to go in the first before Fisher went inside for a bucket, and senior
Jared Lary drilled a three for a 32-25 lead at the break.
UDM then added to that with a 19-5 spurt in the first five minutes of the second half for a 51-29 advantage. The Titans made 8-of-11 shots in that stretch as junior
London Maiden started the charge with four straight baskets for the offense. Fisher and freshman
Xavier Istomin-Monroe had baskets, Lovejoy hit two free throws, sophomore
TJ Nadeau rang in a three, and Kalambay finished the run with an offensive rebound and putback.
The Penguins answered with 10 in a row, but Lovejoy stopped that with six-straight points, and a three by redshirt freshman
Tyler Spratt had the team up 60-45 with 7:56 left. Later on, a triple from Fisher raised the margin to 16, 65-49, with 6:30 remaining.
YSU did trim away, but free throws by Fisher had the Titans ahead, 71-59, with just 57 seconds on the clock, and UDM would pull out its second conference road win of the season.
Maiden ended with eight points and four rebounds. Lary and Spratt had six points apiece, with Lary adding four boards, and Nadeau tallied seven points and four caroms.
Detroit Mercy shot 42.9% from the field and was 7-of-15 from behind the arc and 18-of-25 at the line. UDM also won the battle of the boards, 43-39, and recorded a season-high nine blocks.
The Titans will now open a three-game homestand, starting with defending league champion Robert Morris on Friday, Dec. 2, in a 7:00 p.m. tip at Calihan Hall.
Game Notes:
- Detroit Mercy has dominated the all-time series, 41-20, and is now 18-12 all-time on the road, ending a five-game slide at YSU
- UDM was without Ayden Carter, Legend Geeter, Je'kel Cotton, and Nate Johnson due to injuries
- The nine blocks were the most since registering nine against IU Indy in 2020
- The Titans came into the game leading the conference with 39.7 rebounds per game - 68th in DI - as well as first in the league in defensive rebounding (25.8) and third in the HL and 35th in the country with 13.9 offensive rebounds per game
- The Titans came into today first in the HL and 78th in the nation at the free-throw line at 75.1%, while their 15.8 makes per game was fourth in the league
- UDM has now reached double-digit made free throws in 11 games this year
- Lovejoy now has 11 career 20-point games, all with Detroit Mercy
- Lovejoy is now fourth in the NCAA at the free-throw line at 95.4% (42-of-44)
- Lovejoy has at least two steals in eight of his 12 games played
- After starting the season 4-of-25 from three, Spratt is now 9-for-22 in his last five games
- Fisher has now scored in double figures in three straight games and in five total on the year as well as grabbed at least six rebounds in three straight games
- After posting just 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds, making 20-of-54 shots, he is averaging 13.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in his last three, hitting 15-of-29 from the field (51.7%)
- Before Kalambay's five, the last Titan with at least five blocks was Chris Brandon's six against IU Indy in 2020
- Kalambay's career high in rebounds is 11 against Oakland last season
- Kalambay is tallying 7.3 rebounds and 4.7 points in his last three games, going 6-of-10 from the field
