DETROIT (12/5/2025) -- Off its high-scoring win to start Horizon League play, the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will now look for a sweep on the opening week of conference play as the Titans make their way to Cleveland State on Saturday.

Game time is set for 2:00 p.m., at the Wolstein Center and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

The Titans are coming off a 92-78 victory over IU Indy as junior Ayden Carter scored a season-high 21 points and junior London Maiden tallied a career-high 18 points and nine rebounds.

Cleveland State is 3-7 on the season and 0-1 in league play after falling 95-80 at NKU. CSU has dropped four of its last five, with the lone win a 109-56 tally over Waynesburg.

After the game, the Titans will have a week off before heading to Purdue Fort Wayne next Sunday.

FACTS ABOUT 1936

• Detroit Mercy and Cleveland State first met on Jan. 3, 1936, as U-D's Chet Laske scored 11 points in a 40-25 win over the Fenn Foxes (CSU was Fenn College at the time). Here are some other events going on in 1936.

* Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, while men's and women's basketball were added as official Olympic sports for the first time
* Social Security numbers were issued
* Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected
* First issue of LIFE magazine
* For a nickel, you could buy an ice cream cone, a doughnut, a cup of coffee, a bottle of Coke, or a Hershey's bar

WE HAVE OPTIONS

• Detroit Mercy came into the season knowing it had a deep bench, and that has shown so far this year.
• The Titans are currently second in the Horizon League and 31st in the nation, tallying 35.2 points from the bench per game.
• UDM just 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 44th in the country with 13.8 offensive rebounds per game.
• 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 D I team since outrebounding Wake Forest by 17 last year.
• The Titans had 21 offensive rebounds at UIC, 15 at Toledo, and 14 versus IU Indy.

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. 
• UDM then went 28-of-67 at Notre Dame, 30-of-64 in the win over Cleary, and 32-of-71 at Toledo. 
• Last season, UDM was 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. 
• The Titans came close with a 9-of-20 effort from three against IU Indy, but have now reached double-digit 3-pointers just four times in the last 73 games and twice last year (10 at Oakland, 11 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne) as they are still looking for that consistent stroke from the outside. 

MAKING THE FREE ONES

• The Titans are currently first in the HL and 84th in the nation at 74.9%, while their 15.6 makes per game is fourth. 
• The Titans have reached double-digit free throws in seven games after connecting in 21-of-24 against IU Indy, the third most on the season behind the 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 tied their season high for the third time this year and the second-straight game, committing just nine turnovers.

WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING

• Sophomore TJ Nadeau scored the first basket of the season and has not stopped scoring, netting double figures in five of the nine games, including a career-best 24 points on a career-high 9-of-14 from the field and six triples at Notre Dame.
• He also led the team with 16 points in the win over Cleary, 14 at DePaul, and finished with 15 points and five rebounds at Toledo.
• Nadeau also has hit the boards, grabbing a season-tying six at Niagara, and has tallied 3.3 per game.
• He is third on the squad with 11.0 points per game and has now scored in double figures 16 times in his career and 11 times in his last 19 outings. He also tops the squad with 18 triples. 
• 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 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 leads the team with 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals and is second with 11.1 points per game. 
• He has a 2.5-1 assists-to-turnover ratio with 30 assists against just 12 turnovers on the season and is approaching 1,000 career points, entering the game at 970.
• He leads the HL and is 11th in the nation, hitting 96.4% at the line (27-of-28). 
• He has at least two steals in five of his eight games and now has at least three steals in 16 games in his career.
• He is coming off a rare game where he didn't score against IU Indy, just the seventh time in his 91 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 just had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists at Niagara. He dished out a team-high six assists at Notre Dame and five at Toledo.
• 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 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 is coming off 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 leads the team with 12.2 points, tied for the team lead with 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. 

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. 

GREAT STONE TO BUILD UPON

• Detroit Mercy freshman Lance Stone has had a good start to his career as he just tied his season high for the fourth time netting 11 points with three assists against IU Indy, aming 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 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 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.

SPRATT IS COMING HOME

• Detroit Mercy brought back a hometown kid when redshirt freshman Tyler Spratt transferred to UDM.
• He tied his season high for the third with eight points against IU Indy, adding a season-best three blocks. 
• He had seven points at Notre Dame, eight points and eight boards at Toledo, and eight more points at DePaul.  
• 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.

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, pulling down six rebounds at Niagara and tallying seven points, a rebound, and an assist at DePaul. He had two points and four assists against Cleary and two points and two helpers at Michigan State. 
• 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 LEGEND OF GEETER

• Senior Legend Geeter has been a consistent presence in the middle for the Titans, especially over the last two games, with 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.
• 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.

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, coming off back-to-back season highs.
• He started with 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 20-of-32 (62.5%) from the floor and is averaging 9.1 points in the last six games, and 17.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in the last two on 78.6% (11-of-14) from the field and 75.0% (12-of-16) at the line. 
• 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 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 had three points and three rebounds against IU Indy after two points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal at DePaul. 
• He had four points, three rebounds, a block, and a steal in just seven minutes in the season opener at UIC, and grabbed four rebounds at MSU.
• 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.

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. 

MEN'S BASKETBALL INKS 4 FALL SIGNEES

• Detroit Mercy was able to secure some highly touted prospects as the Titans announced the signings of Keaton Aldridge Jr. (Indianapolis, Ind./ Cathedral), Greg Grays Jr. (Detroit, Mich./Brother Rice), Chance Houser (Detroit, Mich./Mumford), and James Martin (Muskegon, Mich./ Muskegon).
• Aldridge Jr. posted 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.0 steals in the last two seasons, earning All-City and All-Conference.
• Grays Jr. - the son of former Titan Greg Grays - has scored 1,410 career points and averaged 21.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in his prep career, earning First Team All-State as a junior.
• Houser was All-State Second Team last year, tallying 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds a game, leading Summit Academy to its first MHSAA D2 state finals.
• Martin is a three-time team captain who has averaged 16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals, earning two All-Conference accolades, and was the team's Defensive Player of the Year last season.