By Stretch Jenkinson

2 22 2024

GAME NOTES

https://detroittitans.com/documents/2024/2/22/MBB_notes_vs._Wright_State.pdf

DETROIT (2/21/2024) — The University of Detroit Mercy men’s basketball team will have one final home game this season as the Titans honor a pair of seniors before taking on Wright State on Thursday.

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN App with Jeremy Otto on the call. Fans can also listen to the action on the radio on WLQV 92.7 FM & 1500 AM FaithTalk Detroit with the Voice of Detroit Mercy basketball Dan Hasty.

Prior to the game, UDM will honor two upperclassmen in graduate senior Edoardo Del Cadia and senior Kyle LeGreair. Also, at halftime, Detroit Mercy will honor its spirit squad seniors.

The Titans split a pair of home games last week as they defeated IUPUI before falling to Purdue Fort Wayne. Senior Jatden Stone kept up his scoring prowess with a game-high 27 against the Mastodons to move his Horizon League-leading mark to 21.0 points per game, 23rd in the nation, while sophomore Marcus Tankersley added 19 points and a career-high eight assists. In his last seven games, Tankersley has averaged 4.0 assists per contest.

LeGreair has appeared in 85 career games with six starts and has been known as one of the toughest Titans, often playing through injuries. He has amassed 110 career assists and 57 steals during his time, shooting 47.1% from the field.

Del Cadia has started all 27 games he has played in and is averaging 9.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, with three double-doubles.

Wright State has won three of the last four and six of the last eight as the Raiders come into the contest at 15-12 overall and 10-6 in the Horizon League. WSU – which is battling for a top-four spot in the league – was victorious in the first match-up, 92-85.

Tickets start at just $10 and can be purchased here.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• Wright State has dominated the series in recent years, winning 13 of the last 15 and 20 of the last 25, as the Raiders lead the all-time battle, 40-28.
• The Raiders have won six of the last eight in Calihan Hall, but the Titans lead the match-up at home 16-15.

IT IS OVER!!!!!!

• The Titans longest losing streak in school and Horizon League history came to an end with an 81-66 victory over IUPUI.
• The 27 in a row dating back to last season eclipsed the school record 15 straight between the end of 1986-87 and the 0-14 start of 1987-88 and the HL record of 23 straight Cleveland State lost in 2003-04

SAD NEWS FROM TITAN TERRITORY

• It is with heavy hearts that Detroit Mercy received word that Titan Hall-Of-Famer, NBA champion and Detroit ambassador Earl “The Twirl” Cureton suddenly passed away on Sunday, Feb. 4, at the age of 66.
• He had served as a color analyst on Titan broadcast for almost 20 years, and the last game he did this past Saturday was Detroit Mercy-Robert Morris, two schools where he is in the Hall of Fame.
• A 12-year NBA veteran and a two-time NBA champion, Cureton suited up for the Titans from 1977-80, playing two seasons after sitting out following his transfer from Robert Morris, a junior college at the time.
• He averaged 11.7 points and a team-high 9.0 rebounds with 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game in 1978-79 and then topped the team in scoring (20.0) and rebounding (9.1) to go with 1.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks and steals in 1979-80. He is still 12th all-time in school history in career blocks with 79 – second when he graduated – and was inducted into the Titan Hall of Fame in 2007 and had his famed No. 24 jersey retired by UDM on Jan. 23, 2020.
• Drafted by Philadelphia with the 58th pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, Cureton began his professional career in the 1980-1981 season as the 76ers advanced to the NBA Finals during his rookie season. They would later break through to win the 1983 title, and he was also part of the Houston Rockets championship team in 1994.
• In his 12 years in the NBA, he played for seven playoff teams, including three years in the mid-1980s with the hometown Pistons. He scored a career-high 25 points with 14 rebounds off the bench in a 129-113 Pistons win over the Nuggets on Jan. 17, 1986, and posted a career-best 18 boards as a member of the Clippers against the Rockets on Apr. 7, 1987.

STARTING TO SURGE

• The Titans have struggled on offense but have picked it up in the last 11 games, averaging 73.5 points after tallying just 60.1 in their first 17 games.
• Detroit Mercy has registered double-digit assists in eight of the 11 games.
• UDM has shot over 46.0% in six straight games after shooting 52.2% against Purdue Fort Wayne and 51.0% in the win over IUPUI last week. Before that, UDM tallied 47.5% at NKU – including 66.0% in the second half – and hit a season-high 59.6% at Wright State the game before, its best mark since hitting 66.0% against Green Bay in 2021.
• They had a season-high 99 points at Robert Morris and a season-best 17 assists.
• The 99 points were the most since a 101-83 victory against Green Bay at home in 2019 and the most points on the road since a 115-108 setback at Green Bay in 2016.

SHOWING SOME DEFENSE

• Detroit Mercy has forced double-digit turnovers in 18 games this season. UDM also has at least 10 steals in six games this year, forcing 19 with 11 steals against IUPUI last week.
• The Titans’ defense forced Robert Morris into 20 at home and registered 16 turnovers with a season-tying 12 steals at Milwaukee.
• Earlier this year, they forced Ball State into a season-high 21 turnovers with a season-best 12 steals.
• UDM is fourth in the HL with 7.0 steals per game.

EARNING POINTS AT THE LINE

• The Titans have made double-digit free throws in 21 games this season.
• The Titans were 17-of-22 against Purdue Fort Wayne and 24-of-33 effort against IUPUI, the second most free throws on the season behind the 25-of-26 at home against NKU.
• The 33 free throws were the most since going 24-of-34 against Rochester on Nov. 8, 2022, a 93-65 win.
• The Titans are fifth in the HL in free-throw percentage at 74.5%.
• They also have two of the best in the league as Marcus Tankersley is eighth at 79.6% and Jayden Stone is 10th at 78.5%.
• Tankersley has made 25 of his last 28 in the last four games, including 14 straight at one point.

A PRECIOUS STONE

• Senior Jayden Stone returned to action after missing six games and quickly reestablished himself as one of the top scorers in the NCAA in the last 11 games at 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
• He just talled a game-high 27 points with six rebounds against Purdue Fort Wayne and a game-high 25 points with six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win over IUPUI. He had 24 points with six boards at NKU, 28 points against Cleveland State and 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists at Green Bay.
• Stone recorded his second double-double of the year with 15 points, a career-high 10 assists, six boards, and two steals at Milwaukee.
• Stone had a monster game with a career-high 36 points and a season-best 10 rebounds, playing 49 of a possible 50 minutes at Robert Morris, while adding four assists, two steals, and a block.
• He had a then career-best 34 points against Eastern Michigan, hitting 12-of-15 from the field and 4-of-7 from three with six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
• Defensively, he came away with six steals against Ball State, the most steals by a Titan since 2017.
• He now has two 30-point efforts – tied for second in the HL – and 13, 20-point performances – tied for third in the league – in just 22 games played.
• Stone is averaging a league-best 21.0 points, 23rd in the nation, along with 2.4 triples, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists, top 15 in the HL in all three.
• He has played in 35 career games with the Titans and has netted 20 or more 18 times, been in double figures 28 times, grabbed five or more rebounds on 25 occasions, including 18 times this year, and recorded three double-doubles.

SCORE IT MARK

• Sophomore Marcus Tankersley has now scored 20 or more eight times on the year, including six of the last 11 games.
• He just finished with 17 points and a career-high eight assists against Purdue Fort Wayne as he has evolved into more of a ball handler, averaging 4.0 assists in the last seven contests.
• He tallied 24 points on a career-best 11-of-17 effort at NKU, and that was after matching his career-high with 29 points, a career-high three triples, and handing out six assists at Wright State.
• Tankersley netted 24 points against Robert Morris and tallied 23 points against Youngstown State. That came after a career-high 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting and 9-of-9 at the line at Robert Morris.
• Dating back to last season, he has now scored in double figures in 25 of the last 30 games and is tallying 16.1 points on the year – seventh in the HL – and shooting 45.0% from the field – 14th in the conference.
• In the non-conference, he had 20 at NC State with a career-tying three steals and recorded his first career double-double with a then-career-best 23 points and 11 rebounds at Northwestern.

RETURN OF THE MAK

• Junior Mak Manciel tallied his sixth double-figure scoring effort of the season with 14 points and five rebounds against IUPUI.
• He started the year 6-of-42 (14.2%) from the field, but is shooting just over 38.0% (38-of-100) in the last 15 games, going in double figures in six of them.
• He scored a career-high 20 points, connecting on 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-7 from three at Wright State.
• He got his game going against NKU at home, recording 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting with four rebounds. He then had 16 points on 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 from three with a season-high five assists at Robert Morris.
• Last year, he was at Arkansas State, but missed last season due to a knee injury.
• He was a First Team NJCAA All-American as a sophomore at Henry Ford College after posting 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists, shooting 47.6%.

DEL CADIA NETS CAREER BEST

• Graduate senior Edoardo Del Cadia has three double-doubles – tied for ninth in the HL – as he continues to showcase some fine all-around play as a post-player.
• Del Cadia had 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal against Purdue Fort Wayne.
• He almost had another double-double with 13 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and an assist at NKU.
• He ended with 11 points, nine rebounds and two steals against Cleveland State and registered a career-best 17 points on 8-of-15 from the field with three steals and three rebounds against Youngstown State.
• He had 16 points and grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne and posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards at NC State.
• He tallied a career-best 16 points with 10 boards at Ole Miss, to go with three assists, a block and a steal.
• He has now scored in double figures in 13 games and has grabbed at least five rebounds in 16 as he is currently averaging 9.0 points, 5.7 rebounds – 13th in the HL – 1.7 assists and shooting 54.2% (91-of-168) from the field, which would be fifth in the league but he doesn’t have enough attempts to qualify.

FINALLY GET TO SEE HIM

• Graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac started the season recovering from a past injury and had a slow start, but he showed what he could do when healthy at Milwaukee.
• He drained 7-of-13 from deep en route to a career-high 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting overall to go with a season-high eight rebounds, a career-tying three steals and a block at Milwaukee.
• He just had five points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds against Purdue Fort Wayne. He also tallied a team-high five rebounds with a career-tying three blocks against NKU.
• He missed the first 12 games, recovering from an injury sustained before his arrival at UDM.

MOTOR CITY PRIDE

• Senior Kyle LeGreair has 11 multi-assist games this year and also has a steal in 12 of the last 15 games and 18 on the season. He has multi-steal games on four occasions after his five-point, four-rebound, two-steal game against IUPUI.
• He also had five points and a season-tying five rebounds with two assists and a steal against Milwaukee.
• He scored four points with three assists and two rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne and posted two points, four rebounds and three assists at NC State.
• He registered five rebounds and three assists at Ole Miss, two steals at Ohio and three assists against Oakland.

DAVIS COMING ALIVE

• Sophomore Tyree Davis has had some good moments in his first year.
• He scored six points with three boards at Robert Morris. He notched four points, five rebounds, and two steals against Milwaukee, and that was after a season-high six boards versus Green Bay.
• He had five points, two steals, two rebounds, and a block at Loyola Marymount, and eight points and five boards at Northwestern.
• Davis provided some energy and great minutes against Oakland, making 4-of-5 from the field and ending with eight points, four rebounds, and his first two blocks.
• Davis’ dad, Ricky Davis, played 12 years in the NBA and averaged 13.5 points per game, including a career-high 20.6 with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2002-03., 40.8% from three and 83.0% at the line.

MY FAVORITE COLOR IS PINK

• Junior Jamail Pink has been seeing more action this season. He had seven points at Milwaukee, and that was after eight points against Youngstown State, connecting on three field goals and a 3-pointer in both games.
• He set a career-high with 11 points at Central Michigan, going 3-of-7 from the field with a pair of triples and had five points and three boards against Milwaukee.
• He gave the Titans some vital minutes in his first start at Southern Illinois Edwardsville, scoring six points on a pair of 3-pointers and registering two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in a career-high 29 minutes.

OLAJUWON IN THE BOOKS

• Redshirt freshman Abdullah Olajuwon has done a lot of the small things in his playing time.
• He has three games this season with at least two blocks, 11 games with a steal – including six straight – and five games with at least five rebounds.
• He had a career day at Purdue Fort Wayne, scoring a career-best 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting with five rebounds. He pulled down five boards with a steal at Green Bay, and that was after four points, three rebounds, and two steals at Milwaukee.
• In the first meeting with the Panthers, he tied his season-high with eight rebounds.
• Against Oakland, he registered two points, four rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists and added four points, a team-high eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals at Ohio.
• He is now 1,295 points behind his dad, Hakeem Olajuwon, who netted 1,332 in three years at Houston from 1981-84.

KEEP WORKING HARD

• Junior walk-on Tobin Schwannecke has seen more playing time recently as the coaching staff is awarding him for his dedication in practice.
• He just had a season-high five points against IUPUI and versus Purdue Fort Wayne, one shy of his career-best of six against Northwood when he played for Grand Valley State in 2021.
• He also hit a three in both games and now has three career triples.

COURTESY DETROIT MERCY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS