The Titans rolled to a 105-79 victory over Club Basquet Navas on Friday in the first of their five exhibition games in Spain behind stellar performances from junior Xavier Keeling and senior Eulis Stephens.
Keeling led the way with 23 points, six boards and four 4 steals. Stephens' intensity and senior leadership on foreign soil was invaluable to the Titans as he had 21 points, three steals and three blocks. Eugene Blue and Thomas Kennedy each pitched in 15 and Eli Holman scored 13 with six boards, despite finding himself in foul trouble.
The team from Spain, Club Basquet Navas, was excellent competition for the Titans in their first game in Spain. A balanced mix of low post physicality and perimeter shooting allowed the Titans to test many of the techniques that coach Ray McCallum and his staff had been teaching in the 10 days of practice leading up to this trip.
The Titans play tomorrow against Girona at 6:00 p.m. Spanish time, 12 Noon back in the States.
Here are some post-game comments from the UDM travel party:
Coach Ray McCallum: "I was pleased with the overall effort. After having 10 days of practice, our guys were anxious to get a game going. We initially went on an 8-0 run to start the game and the adrenalin was high. Our bench helped us and they were stellar. We played a full 40 minutes and that was big."
Xavier Keeling: "This was the first time we've played in an organized setting. I thought we played really well and I am looking forward to adding Jason, Curtis, Lamar and John to this year's Titan family. All in all this has been a great beginning to this trip and we just want to thank everybody who made this possible. We are really finding our identity and that is to play hard and play together."
Athletic Director Keri Gaither: "After seeing the players work so hard over the 10 days of practice, it was a treat to see them perform so well on the court. It was a great way to start the five-game exhibition tour and a great way to start the 2009-10 men's basketball year."
-Detroit Titans-
