DETROIT (1/30/2026) -- The Titans hit a season-high 12 triples and used two big runs to pull away for the win as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team got revenge on NKU, 90-77, on Friday night at Calihan Hall.
Detroit Mercy (9-12, 6-6 HL) shot a season-high 55.6% from the field (30-of-54) and was 12-of-20 from three, while outrebounding NKU (14-9, 6-6 HL), 41-32.
Redshirt freshman
Tyler Spratt netted a season-high 28 points, connecting on 8-of-10 from three, while adding six rebounds and a season-best six assists. The eight triples were the most by a Titan since Antoine Davis in 2023.
Senior
Orlando Lovejoy had a season-high 24 points, and freshman
Lance Stone scored a season-high 16 points with four helpers.
Senior
Legend Geeter also had a great game, recording his second career double-double with 12 points and matching his season-high with 10 boards, while registering six assists.
Detroit Mercy was down 13-7 early on when the red, white and blue went on a 27-6 run, including 20 points in a row, for a 34-19 lead. Spratt nailed four of his 3-pointers in that span, and the defense held NKU to 2-of-10 from the field and three turnovers.
NKU was able cut it to 42-38, but Geeter had an offensive rebound and putback to make it 44-38 at the break.
Lovejoy had a basket to start the second half, but had just a 48-42 lead early in the second half. That is when the Titans went on another big spurt, scoring 17 in a row for a 65-42 lead with 12:02 left. Geeter and Stone had five points apiece in that run, and the defense again forced the Norse into 0-of-7 shooting and two more turnovers.
Detroit Mercy saw NKU make a run and trim the lead to 71-60 when Spratt drilled his eighth trifecta of the game for a 74-60 advantage at the 6:59 mark. The Norse kept chipping away, and it was 74-67 with 6:04 left when Lovejoy got to the rim for a bucket and the foul, hitting the free throw. After a NKU miss, Lovejoy hit another jumper, and it was back to 12, 79-67.
UDM was able to close out the game the rest of the way.
Freshman
Je'kel Cotton grabbed nine rebounds and scored four points, while sophomore
Ryan Kalambay had eight caroms.
The Titans will now hit the road for Wisconsin, facing Milwaukee on Feb. 4 and Green Bay on Feb. 7.
Game Notes:
- NKU still leads the overall series, 18-6, but the Titans have won two in a row at Calihan Hall and are 4-6 in their home building
- The last time Detroit Mercy shot over 55.0% was at Wright State (59.6%) in 2024
- UDM has hit the glass all season long and leads the conference at 39.3 rebounds per game - 53rd in DI - and second in the HL and 22nd in the country with 13.4 offensive rebounds per game.
- Detroit Mercy has won the glass in nine of the 12 league contests
- The Titans have reached double-digit 3-pointers three times in the last six games
- The 12 triples are the most by the Titans since hitting 12 at Wright State in 2024, and the most by UDM in Calihan Hall since draining 17 against Robert Morris in 2023
- UDM has reached double-digit made free throws in 17 games this year and eight times in the 20's.
- Lovejoy now has 13 career 20-point games
- Lovejoy leads Horizon League and is 22nd in the NCAA at 89.3% (77-of-86)
- Geeter's other double-double was as a member of Eastern Michigan against Winthrop in 2022
- Geeter has now scored in double figures 25 times in his career, and four times this season
- Geeter now has at least five rebounds in 12 games this year and a season-high 10 in two of the last three contests
- The eight 3-pointers
- Spratt has really come on since the start of the season, scoring in double figures seven times in the last 10 games
- Spratt just had 21 points against Oakland
- Spratt also has eight games on the year with at least five rebounds
- 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 48-of-97 (49.4%) from the field and 33-of-66 (50.0%) from distance, and averaging 12.0 points in his last 12 games
- Stone now has seven double-figure scoring outings on the season
- Cotton's season-high in rebounds was 10 against Cleary
- Kalambay now has 24 games in his career, grabbing at least five boards
