Men's Basketball 02.03.25

Titans Look To Stay Hot With Mid-Week Trip To Robert Morris

Men's Basketball 02.03.25

Titans Look To Stay Hot With Mid-Week Trip To Robert Morris

Freshman Stephen Okoro and the Titans will look to make it three in a row.

DETROIT (2/4/2025) -- After sweeping last week's action at home, the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will look to keep up its winning ways as the Titans travel to Robert Morris on Wednesday.

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at the UPMC Events Center and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Detroit Mercy posted a pair of double-digit victories last week, downing NKU, 68-57, and Green Bay, 67-57, to move to 8-16 overall and 4-9 in Horizon League play.

Junior Orlando Lovejoy paced the offense with a team-high 19 points in both games. Junior Legend Geeter was in double figures in both games and averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, while freshman TJ Nadeau recorded 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, hitting some key 3-pointers in both contests in the second half.

Robert Morris was one of the hottest teams in the conference, winning six in a row, before falling at Wright State on a last-second shot as the Colonials are 16-8 on the season and 8-5 in league play.

Following the game, the Titans will return to Detroit as Youngstown State visits Calihan Hall on Saturday.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Despite being 208 miles apart, this will be just the 11th career meeting between the two schools as the Titans are 7-3 all-time and 6-3 since the Colonials joined the Horizon League in 2020.
The Titans are 2-2 on the road, dropping the last two meetings at RMU.
The first match-up was back in 2009 in upstate New York in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

REMEMBERING EARL THE TWIRL

Both Detroit Mercy and Robert Morris were in shock and sadness when Earl Cureton passed away on Feb. 4, 2024.
In a special ceremony on Feb. 4, 2025, the street alongside St. Cecilia's gym (Stearns & Livernois) was renamed to honor him.
Cureton holds the honor of being inducted into both school's Hall Of Fame, and the last game he called as a broadcaster was the Titans-Colonials match-up the day before he passed last season.
He played two seasons at RMU, the second of which (1976-77) was the first as an NCAA Division I institution. That year, he scored 446 points and pulled down a single-season school record 274 rebounds and remains the only RMU player in program history to average a double-double, posting averages of 17.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest in 1976-77.
He transferred and helped the Titans to a 36-19 in his two years, advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 1979. He averaged 20.0 points and 9.1 rebounds to lead the team in 1980. He also sits ninth on the all-time Titan list in blocks with 79.
He was selected in the third round of the 1979 NBA Draft by Philadelphia and played 12 years, earning rings with Philadelphia in 1983 and Houston in 1994.

LET'S TALK PLAYOFFS

With seven games left in the regular season, the Titans are still fighting for a home playoff game as they sit tied for ninth with IU Indy at 4-9, just a game out of eighth and two shy of seventh.
The 2025 Barbasol Horizon League Basketball Championships are set to begin on March 4.
The top five teams receive a bye in the first round, while teams 6, 7, and 8 will host a first-round game.
The semifinals and title game are set for March 10-11 at the Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis.

WE JUST NEED 5 MORE MINUTES

The Titans are 3-0 in overtime this year, the most wins in the extra session since 1982-83 when they won at Michigan State and at home against Canisius and Dayton.
So far on the season, UDM downed Niagara 84-78 for the first win in extra time since a 116-109 victory against Houston Baptist (Houston Christian) in 2017. Detroit Mercy added another at Eastern Michigan before its come-from-behind 78-76 win at Robert Morris.

OUR FRESH FIVE

Detroit Mercy did something at Purdue Fort Wayne that it has not done in over 50 years: start five freshmen in a game.
In an era where teams may not even have five freshmen on their roster, Grant Gondrezick II, Nate Johnson, Ryan Kalambay, TJ Nadeau and Miles Mitchell all got the nod, as Detroit Mercy had just eight available players in the contest due to injury.
UDM is also believed to be the only team in DI to start five freshmen this year and are one of only three teams in the nation (South Dakota State, Tarleton State) to have five freshmen averaging at least 10 minutes of playing time.
Due to injuries, the Titans have used 14 different starting line-ups on the year.

NOT YOUR NBA GAME

The Titans are currently sixth in the Horizon League hitting at 33.2% from three.
But a little different than in years past or today's NBA game, UDM is 11th in the HL and 342nd in DI, connecting on 5.5 per game and 11th in the conference, and 349th in the country with just 16.4 attempts per game.
In fact, the red, white, and blue have made double-digit 3-pointers just once this season (11 at home vs. Purdue Fort Wayne) and three times going back to the start of last year (spanning 56 games).

WINNING THE GLASS

Detroit Mercy is second in the Horizon League and 62nd in the country with 38.2 rebounds per game and, fifth in the HL and 82nd in the country with 11.9 offensive boards per game.
UDM registered a 48-31 tally at Wake Forest (14-6 on offense). The Titans outrebounded Ball State, 40-30, with 13 offensive and collected 15 of the last 20 rebounds in the contest to seal the win.
Detroit Mercy took the glass against Niagara, 49-28, the first time it had a margin of +20 since a 53-20 advantage at home over Youngstown State in 2016.
The Titans pulled down 53 rebounds in the season opener against Cleary, the most since the 53 they had against Youngstown State. They also edged Loyola, 40-39, which included 20 offensive caroms, and Tulsa, 47-44, 16-9 on offense.

PLAYING SOME DEFENSE

The Titans have had their moments playing some great defense this season and have really come on in the last few weeks, holding five-straight opponents under 70 points, including two in a row under 60 in its winning homestand last week.
The last time the Titans held back-to-back teams under 60 points was on Dec. 2 and Dec. 5 of 2021, as they beat IUPUI 69-45 and UIC 64-56, both on the road.
The Titans held NKU to 57 points, 30.2% from the field and 4-of-27 (14.8%) from three. The 57 points allowed was the fewest since the 91-52 season-open victory over Cleary and the fewest in HL play since beating Purdue Fort Wayne, 85-52, on Feb. 4, 2023, while the 19 field goals allowed was the fewest since Ball State had 17 earlier this season and the least in conference play since the Mastodons were 19-of-56 in that 2023 contest.
In their 67-57 over Green Bay, they limited the Phoenix to 38.2% shooting and 7-of-28 from the outside.
In the win at Ball State, the Titans held a team under 60 points on the road for the first time since a 71-58 triumph at Milwaukee in 2021-22.
The Titans forced Wake Forest into missing 25 of its last 31 from behind the arc and 34 of its last 50 shots overall after starting the contest 8-of-11.
Wisconsin was 7-of-35 and Robert Morris 4-of-23 overall from distance. In the Milwaukee game, UDM held the high-scoring Panthers to 30.8% from the field and 3-of-24 from three, while at Cleveland State, the Vikings were 4-of-24 from three.
The Titans currently lead the Horizon League in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding teams to 31.0% from distance. They are also third in overall field-goal defense, forcing teams to 42.1%, and have allowed just 62.2 points in their last five games.

MAKING THE FREE ONES

The Titans have taken advantage at the free throw line this season, especially in the last three games where UDM has connected on 39-of-44 (88.6%).
Detroit Mercy has tallied double-digit free throws 17 times on the year, including a season-high 22 at Youngstown State.
UDM is fourth in the Horizon League and 98th in the country at 74.2%, but in HL games only, it tops the conference at 77.7%.
Junior Orlando Lovejoy is second in the league at 85.3% (87-of-102). Graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac is 32-of-37 (86.5%), while, junior Legend Geeter has made 41-of-49 (83.7%).

RUNNING THE OFFENSE

The Titans scored 90 points for the second time this season in their 98-89 road win at Eastern Michigan. They also won 91-52 versus Cleary to start the year.
The 98 points were the most since UDM recorded 99 in two overtimes at Robert Morris last year, the only time it was in the 90's.
UDM's 54.8% shooting against the Eagles was the best since hitting 59.6% (31-of-52) at Wright State last year, while the 17 assists were the second most on the year after the 19 against Cleary.
They nearly went over 50.0% again, ending with 48.3% (29-of-60) versus Purdue Fort Wayne, including 65.5% (19-of-29 overall and 9-of-14 from three) in the second half. UDM also nailed a season-high 11 triples against the Mastodons, the most since connecting on 12 last year at Wright State.
Against Robert Morris, the Titans started slow, making five of their first 20 shots, but finished the game 26-of-47 (55.3%) overall and 61.3% (19-of-31) in the second half to get the game to overtime.

LOOKING FOR THE NEXT BENCHMARK

The Titans have already eclipsed last year's win total and snapped a 22-overall game road slide with a win at Ball State.
UDM posted four wins in November, the most in the month since going 4-3 at the start of the 2017-18 season.
Detroit Mercy is now looking to end a 16-game Horizon League regular season road losing streak, 17 games if counting last year's tournament game, with its last HL road victory a 96-74 triumph at Oakland on Feb. 17, 2023

OUR PRIDE AND JOY

Junior Orlando Lovejoy - who missed two games with an ankle injury and came back against Oakland - has been remarkably consistent on offense and defense, scoring in double figures in 17 games as well as grabbing at least three rebounds in 20 games and five on seven occasions.
In his five 20-point games, he has not even attempted a three in four of them, as he is an old-school guard with a mid-range game and gets to the line, where he is second in the league at 85.3%.
In last week's wins, he averaged 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.5 steals and was a perfect 12-of-12 at the line. He started the week with 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a block in the Norse victory and then had 19 points with four rebounds, four assists, and tied his career-high with five steals as the Titans topped the Phoenix.
He has at least three assists in 16 games and five or more in seven, ranking seventh in the league with 3.8 per game.
On defense, he has at least one steal in 19 games with seven multi-steal contests, including a career-high five at Loyola and against Green Bay, and is third in the HL with 1.83 per game.
He reached 20 points for the fifth time this season against Milwaukee as he had 20 points and tied his career high with 10 rebounds for his second career double-double along with five assists.
He had a career-high 32 points and nine rebounds against Robert Morris, going 13-of-21 from the field.
Lovejoy tallied 23 to go with four boards and three steals at Youngstown State after 20 points with four rebounds and three assists at Wisconsin.
He posted 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals against Wright State, and that was after 18 points and a career-high nine assists against Purdue Fort Wayne. He recorded 18 points with seven assists and three steals at EMU, tying the game with a layup with just three ticks on the clock.
He scored 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 8-of-8 at the free-throw line against Rhode Island, with seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals and had a team-high 15 points, eight boards, and handed out six assists at Wake Forest.
On the year, he leads the team at 15.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, shooting 43.8% overall and 85.3% at the line, ranking in the top 10 in the HL in scoring (4th), assists (8th), steals (3rd), field-goal percentage (10th), free-throw percentage (2nd) and minutes played (1st - 34:14).

GEETER READY TO MAKE HIS OWN LEGEND

Junior Legend Geeter has found himself at home in his hometown.
Geeter - who missed the game at Purdue Fort Wayne with an injury - has started to get back on track, tallying 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks, hitting 9-of-18 from the field and 6-of-8 at the line in Detroit Mercy's wins over NKU and Green Bay.
He has now scored in double figures in nine games this season, including five in a row at one point.
He posted 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds versus NKU and finished with 15 points and seven boards against the Phoenix.
Back in December at Davidson, he netted 17 points - hitting a career-high five 3-pointers - along with three rebounds, two steals and a block.
Geeter had a great opening week of conference play, scoring 10 points, grabbing eight rebounds with two assists and a block against Wright State, and that was after a career game, netting 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.
He scored 14 points, along with three boards, three assists, and a steal at EMU, after 11 points, six rebounds, and a career-high four steals with a block against Rhode Island. Earlier in the year, he recorded 14 points against Niagara, going 3-of-5 from the field and 8-of-8 at the free-throw line.
On the year, he is averaging 8.2 points and 4.0 rebounds, shooting 42.1% overall, with 13 triples.
Geeter was coached in high school by Titan assistant coach LaMonta Stone and started his career at Providence before spending the last two seasons at EMU.

WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING

Freshman TJ Nadeau is coming off a weekend where he made some big shots to help the Titans sweep their homestand over NKU and Green Bay.
He posted 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, adding two assists, two blocks and a steal, while shooting 42.9% from the field and nailing seven triples. Against NKU, he rang in five 3-pointers, including three straight to start the second half to give UDM an 18-point lead, en route to 17 points and seven rebounds. He came back with eight points, two rebounds, and two assists against Green Bay, with all eight points coming in the second half to help stop any chance of a Phoenix comeback.
He has now scored in double figures six times this season, netted at least seven points in 16 of the 24 games, and has at least four boards in nine contests.
He tallied his first 20-point game, ending with 20 points, eight rebounds, and two steals at Purdue Fort Wayne and had 11 points versus Wright State.
He posted 16 points at EMU, hitting 5-of-7 from the field, 2-of-2 from distance, and 4-of-4 at the line.
Before that, he registered 13 points with a season-best nine boards at Wake Forest and netted his first double-digit effort with 10 points against Toledo.
As a rookie, he is averaging 8.1 points, with 33 of his 71 field goals coming from behind the arc, leading the team from distance, and connecting on a three in 18 of his 24 contests.

NATE THE GREAT

Freshman Nate Johnson has held his own as a rookie on the hardwood, registering eight games in double figures, 21 games with three or more rebounds, and six games with at least two assists.
He is currently posting 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists, shooting 37.9%.
Johnson had eight points and three boards against NKU and 12 points and seven rebounds versus Green Bay.
He scored 16 points, going 6-of-13 from the field and tying his season-high with three 3-pointers, with five rebounds, two assists and two steals against Oakland.
He had a season-high 19 points with six rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne. He pulled down a season-high 10 boards at Youngstown State, adding six points and three assists. He netted 11 points with four rebounds and a block at NKU and 12 points, three rebounds and two assists against Wright State.
Johnson was named the HL Freshman of the Week on Nov. 11 after averaging 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists, hitting 10-of-23 (43.5%) shots, with four triples.
He started his collegiate career with nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists in the win over Cleary. He came back with 13 points and three boards at Loyola and nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the win over Niagara.

JUST KUAC THIS

Graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac was off to a strong start in his second Titan season but also missed three games with an injury.
He just had 10 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals against NKU, the first time he was in double figures since netting 16 in the overtime win over Robert Morris.
He returned after missing three games at Youngstown State and tied his career-high with nine rebounds and scoring seven points and had 16 points with four boards, two assists, two blocks and a steal against Robert Morris.
He posted a team-high 18 points, connecting on 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-7 from three against Toledo. He netted 11 points with six boards against Purdue Fort Wayne and had 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal versus Niagara.
For his career, Kuac has made 126 field goals, 60 of those from three, including 41 of his 78 field goals as a Titan.

PUTTING IN THE MILES

Freshman Miles Mitchell was a candidate to redshirt at the start of the season, but after not playing the first three games, he has come off the bench, providing a spark.
He had a season-best nine rebounds with five points and a steal at IU Indy and had seven boards at Wright State.
He grabbed seven boards at Wisconsin and eight boards with a block and a steal at NKU.
Mitchell finished with four points and a season-best three steals at Youngstown State.
Earlier in the season, he had eight points and four rebounds in just 13 minutes against Rhode Island.
He is 22-of-44 from the field on the year, with all of those coming around the basket.

KALAMBAY'S PLAY

Freshman Ryan Kalambay has picked up his play in the last six games, tallying double figures in scoring twice, five rebounds four times, and recording a double-double.
After posting just 31 points (1.7), 43 (2.4) rebounds and eight blocks in just 11.4 minutes of action in his first 18 games, Kalambay has 40 points (6.6), 38 boards (6.3) and seven rejections playing 29.3 minutes in the last six.
He has also now connected on 15 of his last 20 at the line after starting the season 2-of-12.
He just had six points, four rebounds and two assists against Green Bay after registering six rebounds, a season-high three blocks and three assists with a steal against NKU.
Kalambay was named the HL Freshman of the Week on Jan.20 after registering his first double-double with a season-high 13 points and 11 rebounds against Oakland, going 4-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line.
He came back with a near double-double with 10 points, nine boards and two blocks, shooting 5-of-8 at Cleveland State and had five rebounds at Wright State.
He tied for the team lead with six boards to go with two assists, two steals, and a block at Davidson, had six rebounds, two points, and a block at IU Indy, and five rebounds with a block at Wake Forest.

GIVE ME A GRANT

Redshirt freshman Grant Gondrezick II - who missed the last two games for personal reasons - has netted double figures in nine of the last 14 games - three of those reaching 20 - after scoring just 16 total points in his first seven.
On the year, he is tallying 8.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists, shooting 36.5% overall and 41.5% from three.
He had 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and a season-high three steals against Oakland. That was after a weekend that saw him score 19 points with six rebounds and a season-tying five assists at Purdue Fort Wayne and 21 points and five helpers at IU Indy.
He started his scoring streak at Eastern Michigan, posting a season-high 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal as he was 7-of-14 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 6-of-7 at the charity stripe.
He registered his second 20-point scoring game with 20 at Wisconsin, going 8-of-18 overall and 3-of-4 from three.
He had four points, but pulled down a season-high eight rebounds with two assists and a steal at Youngstown State.
His dad, Grant Gondrezick, played college basketball at Pepperdine and then two seasons in the NBA for the Suns, while his mother, Felicia, won the 1988 NCAA Championship at Louisiana Tech.
His older sister, Kalabrya, played college basketball at Michigan State, while his other sister, Kysre, was Miss Basketball in Michigan, played for Michigan and West Virginia and currently plays in the WNBA.
His uncle, Glen, his dad's brother, played at UNLV and spent six seasons in the NBA with the Knicks and Nuggets.

WHAT A CHASE

Freshman Chase Kuiper made some big plays in the two Titan wins last week, scoring his first collegiate basket against NKU with three rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes and then grabbing a season-high five boards with another basket versus Green Bay.
The walk-on also had three rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne and scored his first DI points, hitting four free throws at IU Indy.
Kuiper was a four-year letterwinner in basketball at Troy High School and was Second Team All-State by the Detroit Free Press and Honorable Mention All-State by the Detroit News after recording 19.1 points and 10.1 rebounds as a senior.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Emmanuel Kuac: G/F; 6' 7"; Graduate Student

#2 Miles Mitchell: F; 6' 10"; Freshman

#4 Legend Geeter: F; 6' 8"; Junior

#5 Orlando Lovejoy: G; 6' 3"; Junior

#7 Chase Kuiper: G/F; 6' 6"; Freshman

#8 Grant Gondrezick II: G; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

#10 Nate Johnson: G; 6' 5"; Freshman

#30 Ryan Kalambay: F; 6' 9"; Freshman

#33 TJ Nadeau: G; 6' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#6 Emmanuel Kuac
: 6' 7"; Graduate Student
: G/F

#2 Miles Mitchell
: 6' 10"; Freshman
: F

#4 Legend Geeter
: 6' 8"; Junior
: F

#5 Orlando Lovejoy
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

#7 Chase Kuiper
: 6' 6"; Freshman
: G/F

#8 Grant Gondrezick II
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#10 Nate Johnson
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: G

#30 Ryan Kalambay
: 6' 9"; Freshman
: F

#33 TJ Nadeau
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: G