DETROIT (1/13/2026) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will make its first trip of the new year as the Titans visit NKU on Thursday.

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at Truist Arena and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Detroit Mercy is 7-9 on the season and 4-3 in the Horizon League after a 94-84 victory over Cleveland State on Sunday. Five Titans scored in double figures as redshirt freshman Tyler Spratt had a season-high 19 points, while sophomore Ryan Kalambay added his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

On a day when he was honored for scoring his 1,000th career point, senior Orlando Lovejoy had a phenomenal all-around game, tallying 18 points, a career-tying nine assists, a season-high seven rebounds, and a career-best eight steals.

NKU is 13-6 on the season and 5-3 in the Horizon League, but just saw its four-game winning streak end with an 80-78 loss at Green Bay its last time out.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES

• NKU has controlled the series since joining the Horizon League, posting a 17-5 record.
• The Norse have won nine of the last 13 overall, but UDM split the regular-season series last year, with each team winning on its home court, but NKU won the playoff bout.
• Detroit Mercy is also 2-11 all-time on the road in the match-up and has dropped five in a row away from the Motor City. 

IN THE CLASSROOM

• Detroit Mercy just missed a team 3.0 GPA as UDM tallied a 2.91 in the fall semester.
• Junior Ayden Carter and freshman Zak Abdalla posted a perfect 4.0, while five other Titans recorded at least a 3.0.

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 foes have amassed a 62-53 (54.6%) record. 

WE HAVE OPTIONS

• The Titans have had a few injuries pop up, but they should be in a good position to deal with them as they are currently second in the Horizon League and 44th in the nation, tallying 31.3 bench points per game.
• UDM had a season-high 59 points off the bench in the win over IU Indy. 

CLEANING THE GLASS

• UDM has hit the glass all season long and leads the conference at 39.3 rebounds per game - 58th in DI - and second in the HL and 22nd in the country with 13.9 offensive rebounds per game.
• Detroit Mercy has won the glass in five of the seven league contests and secured at least 15 offensive boards in six games on the year. 
• The Titans are coming off a 49-27, +22, margin on the glass against Cleveland State, the second biggest on the season behind the 51-18 advantage over Siena Heights. The +22 margin was the largest against a DI school since UDM posted a +33 against Youngstown State at home in 2016.
• UDM posted a 44-34 margin at Purdue Fort Wayne, where the Titans collected 15 offensive rebounds.
• At Niagara, Detroit Mercy dominated the boards, 43-27, including 14 offensive that led to 14 second-chance points. 
• Earlier in the season, the Titans had 21 offensive caroms at UIC.

LOOKING FOR THAT SWEET SHOT

• The Titans connected on a season-best 10-of-22 from three against Cleveland State.
• While the numbers overall this season are not great, UDM has been right around the 50.0% mark from the outside in most of its league play, with games of 9-of-20 against IU Indy and Purdue Fort Wayne, 7-of-15 at Youngstown State, and 7-of-13 versus Robert Morris.
• Last season, UDM ranked 11th in the HL and 341st in DI, connecting on 5.6 per game.
• Detroit Mercy ranks 293rd in three-point shooting (31.3%) and 308th in triples per game (6.3), 10th and 11th, respectively, in the HL, and has now reached double-digit 3-pointers five times in the last 80 games.
• Last season, UDM ranked 11th in the HL and 341st in DI, connecting on 5.6 per game.

MAKING THE FREE ONES

• The Titans lead the HL and are 64th in the nation at the free-throw line at 75.7%, while their 17.3 makes per game is third in the league and 78th in the country. 
• The Titans have reached double-digit made free throws in 14 games this year and seven times in the 20's after going a season-best 26-of-31 effort against CSU.
• Senior Orlando Lovejoy leads Horizon League and is 21st in the NCAA at 90.9% (60-of-66), while sophomore TJ Nadeau is third in the HL at 84.0% (42-of-50). 

PROTECT THE BALL

• Detroit Mercy has tallied a season-high 11 steals twice, in the season opener at UIC and in its last game against CSU. 
• On the flip side, the Titans committed a season-low six miscues at Cleveland State.

WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING

• Sophomore TJ Nadeau has netted double figures in 10 of the 15 games, including a career-best 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 4-of-5 from three at Cleveland State.
• He tallied his fourth 20-point game of the season with 20 against Robert Morris. 
• Earlier this year, he had 24 points on a 9-of-14 effort from the field and six triples at Notre Dame.
• Nadeau also has hit the boards, grabbing a season-tying six at Niagara and against Wright State, and is averaging 3.7 per game.
• He is second on the team with 12.9 points, while his 33 triples lead the squad.
• Nadeau was one of three Titans to appear in all 32 games last year and registered 8.9 points and 3.5 rebounds.
• 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 13.1 points, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals.
• He has a 2.5-1 assists-to-turnover ratio with 59 assists against just 23 turnovers, seventh in the HL, and he recently celebrated crossing the 1,000-point plateau in his career. 
• He is coming off a career all-around game, tallying 18 points, a career-tying nine assists, a career-high eight steals, and seven rebounds against Cleveland State.
• The eight steals were the third most in school history and the most ever against a Division I program. 
• He now has at least two steals in 10 of his 15 games played, and has 181 steals in his career.  
• He also has 19 games with at least five assists and 23 with at least five rebounds.
• Lovejoy scored 13 points with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals against Wright State. That was after a pair of 20-point games with a season-high 22 points at Youngstown State (where he was a career-best 10-of-10 at the line) and 20 points against Robert Morris (where he tied his career high with a pair of 3-pointers and dished out five assists). 
• He had 17 points, a team-high six assists, three rebounds, and two steals at Cleveland 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-school player, making just four total 3-pointers last season - and three this year - while looking to penetrate and use his mid-range game.

THE BIG MAN

• The Titans reeled in a big man in 6-8, 250-lb London Maiden, and after a slow start, he has shown dominance in the paint.
• He had nine points and four boards against Cleveland State, eight points against Wright State, and eight points and four rebounds, with all eight points coming during a 19-4 run to start the second half, at Youngstown State.
• He had 16 points and eight rebounds at Niagara, hitting 5-of-7 from the field and 6-of-8 at the line, and a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds, going 6-of-7 from the field and 6-of-8 at the line versus IU Indy.
• After starting the year 12-of-31 (38.7%) and tallying 4.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in his first seven games, Maiden is shooting 61.2% (30-of-49) in his last nine, averaging 8.4 points and 4.0 rebounds.
• Before he arrived in the Motor City, he played at Blinn College, where he tallied 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. 

THE KEY TO SUCCESS

• Freshman Keshawn Fisher had a good start to his collegiate career with 12 points at UIC and 14 points versus Cleary, but he has really come on in his last six games, sporting four double-digit scoring efforts.
• He just had 10 points against Cleveland State, including an off-the-glass pass from Orlando Lovejoy and a dunk that was #8 on SportsCenter Top plays.  
• He scored a season-high 15 points with seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal at Youngstown State. 
• Before that, he had 12 points with six rebounds, two steals, and a block against Siena Heights and 14 points with a season-best nine rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne.
• After posting just 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds, making 20-of-54 shots (37.0%) in his first 10 appearances, he is averaging 9.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks in his last six, hitting 21-of-40 from the field (52.5%). 
• 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.

THE LEGEND OF GEETER

• Senior Legend Geeter - who missed two games at YSU and against RMU - has really been that senior leader on the floor.
• He tied his career high with 22 points, going 8-of-8 from the field and grabbing six rebounds against Wright State, and came back with eight points and a season-tying nine rebounds with four assists against Cleveland State.
• In his last seven games, he is averaging 9.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, making 21-of-36 shots (58.3%) and 5-of-10 from three.
• Geeter 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 pulled down a team-high six rebounds at Michigan State.
• Last season, he played in 29 games and tallied 7.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 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

• Redshirt freshman Tyler Spratt has really come on since the start of the season and is coming off his best two-game stretch.
• He just scored a season-high 19 points (5-10 FG, 4-8 3FG), including 14 in a second-half 18-4 run to put the game away against Cleveland State.
• That was after 16 points against Wright State, where he was 6-of-10 from the field.
• He earned the Horizon League Freshman of the Week on Dec. 15 after scoring 15 points at Purdue Fort Wayne.
• He had 12 points, making 2-of-4 from three, with two steals against RMU and eight points against IU Indy, adding a season-best three blocks. In the non-conference, he had eight points and eight boards at Toledo.
• After starting the season 10-of-47 overall (21.2%), 4-of-25 (16.0%) from three, and averaging 3.9 points, Spratt has made 29-of-59 (49.2%) from the field and 16-of-36 (44.4%) from three and averaging 11.1 points in his last eight games.
• He spent his freshman campaign at Cleveland State but did not play. 

GREAT STONE TO BUILD UPON

• Detroit Mercy freshman Lance Stone tied his season high for the fifth time, scoring 11 points against Cleveland State.
• He also had 11 points with three assists against IU Indy, making 3-of-6 from three, 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.

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 six points on a pair of huge 3-pointers with four rebounds at Youngstown State. He netted seven points at Purdue Fort Wayne, pulled down six rebounds at Niagara, and tallied seven points, a rebound, and an assist at DePaul. 
• He started six of the nine games he saw action in last season before the knee injury, 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.
• Lary 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.

NATE THE GREAT

• Sophomore Nate Johnson has scored at least six points in six games and pulled down at least four boards six times. 
• He just had five rebounds off the bench versus Cleveland State. He had a season-best 12 points and six rebounds against Siena Heights.
• Johnson 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, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, hitting 38.6% from the field and 30.1% from three.
• Johnson - a member of the HL All-Freshmen Team - registered 13 games in double figures, 17 games with five or more rebounds, and nine games with at least two assists. 
• Johnson's cousin is former Titan standout Wilbert McCormick, who played from 1977-80 and is second in school history with 611 assists. 

AC BRINGING THE FAITH

• Junior Ayden Carter - who has missed the last seven games with a knee injury - stood out at DII Walsh, having netted double figures in six games before being sidelined.
• 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.  
• 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, scoring in double figures in 19 of his 20 games and netting eight 20-point games.
• Earlier this year, he was ordained as a minister by his church, Path2Life Ministries. 

KALAMBAY'S PLAY

• Sophomore Ryan Kalambay has started to see more time recently and has made a mark in the paint.
• He leads the team with 16 blocks, 11 of them in the last seven games, where he is averaging 4.9 points and 6.4 rebounds, hitting 14-of-25 from the field (56.0%).
• Kalambay is coming off his second career double-double, recording 10 points and 10 rebounds with two blocks against Cleveland State.
• He had six points, five rebounds, and two blocks against Robert Morris, and that was after a season-high seven points, 10 rebounds, and three assists, and a career-high five blocks at Youngstown State.
• 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.

THE PRIZE FROM OHIO

• The Titans landed one of Ohio's top recruits in 6-6 freshman Je'kel Cotton, who just returned to action against Wright State after missing three games with an injury. 
• Cotton had three rebounds and a steal in just nine minutes against the Raiders. 
• He was a part of the high-scoring bench, tallying 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.

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.
• He has scored a basket in four of the last five games and has at least three rebounds in six contests. 
• He grabbed a season-high five rebounds with three points against Siena Heights.
• At Niagara, Istomin-Monroe 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.