Game notes vs. UIC

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Horizon League Network

Coming off their 10th victory of the season by double digits, the Titans will look to make up for an early conference loss when they host UIC on Saturday. The game is set for a 4:05 p.m. tip, with the contest part of a doubleheader with the women hosting Cleveland State at 1:30 p.m.

The game can be seen live on the Horizon League Network as well as with a live stats feed through CSTV's gametracker.

Detroit used a 15-0 second-half run to race past Loyola, 83-63, its last time out, sweeping the series from its Jesuit rival. The Titans, who stand at 13-8 and 6-4 in the Horizon League, will now turn their attention to a UIC team that defeated them, 60-56, in Chicago on New Year's Eve.

The Flames come into Calihan Hall on a seven-game losing streak and are 5-15 on the season and 1-9 in the conference. Robo Kreps, who had 31 points against Detroit in the last meeting, tops the team and is eighth in the league in scoring at 14.9 ppg.

The game will also showcase a good cause by UDM head coach Ray McCallum and the rest of the Titan coaching staff as they are wearing sneakers on the sidelines participating in “Suits and Sneakers.”Suits and Sneakers is a national Coaches vs. Cancer event that is designed to raise awareness about the fight against cancer and the American Cancer Society. It encourages head coaches and their staffs to wear sneakers with their suits at games held this weekend to show support for the Coaches vs. Cancer program.

SIMON'S QUEST
Sophomore Chase Simon has been scorching teams on offense lately, leading the Titans in scoring in the last five contests which includes a pair of 20-point and 30-point outings. He had a game-high 30 points against Loyola and now has five career games with 20 or more points. 

Simon was named the HL Co-Player of the Week after posting 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting with five rebounds and three assists at Green Bay and his first career double-double with 33 points (15-24 FG), which included 22 in the second half and 16-straight at one point, and a career best 12 rebounds at Milwaukee. 

In the last five games, Simon is averaging 25.0 ppg., on 50 percent shooting (48-of-96) and 85 percent from the free throw line (18-of-21). He is also pulling down 7.0 rebounds and handing out 2.4 assists per game.

ONE GOOD 30 DESERVES ANOTHER
Sophomore Chase Simon posted his second 30-point game of the season and his career with 30 markers against Loyola. He also had a career-best 33 points at Milwaukee, the third-highest output by a Horizon League player this year, trailing only Valparaiso's Brandon Woods' 39 at Georgia Southern and Cleveland State's Norris Cole's 38 against Florida A&M. 

His 33 points against the Panthers is the highest amount in a conference game to date.
Also, Simon and Wood are the only players in the league this year with a pair of 30-point outings.

DETROIT VS. UIC
Detroit leads the overall series, 20-13, including an 11-4 mark in the Motor City. UIC has won three in a row and five of the last six meetings.

RECAPPING THE FIRST MEETING
Thomas Kennedy notched his second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, but it was not enough as Detroit's second-half comeback fell short with the Titans dropping a 60-56 decision at UIC. 

Chase Simon led the team with 14 points and Donavan Foster netted 10.
 
UDM nearly erased a seven-point deficit with under five minutes to go, but Xavier Keeling's game-tying layup with 4.4 seconds left was blocked. 

Detroit was behind the entire game, by as many as 11 at one point, but fought back to make it a one-point game on four occasions. 

UDM held UIC to just 28% shooting and 17% from three-point range. Detroit was at 41% for the game, including 50% in the second half. The difference was the Flames hitting 25-of-31 at the line, while Detroit was 9-of-14. 

UIC's Robo Kreps had a game-high 31 points including an 18-of-18 effort at the line.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Detroit has been a bit erratic in turning the ball over this season, averaging 15.9 a game, but Detroit valued the ball its last time out against Loyola coming away with a season-low six turnovers and a season-high 21 assists. 

It was the second time this season that UDM had less than 10 turnovers, and the first since they had seven at Michigan.

THE BOOK OF ELI
Eli Holman has been worth the wait after sitting out last year following his transfer from Indiana. Holman leads the team and the league in field goal percentage and blocks and tops the Titans in rebounding. 

He has been in double figures 15 times, pulled down double digits in rebounding seven times and has come away with three or more blocks 10 times. He is coming off his seventh double-double of the season, which is tied for the league lead, with 16 points and 12 rebounds against Loyola.

FOUR OR MORE
Detroit had four players reach double figures in scoring against Loyola (Simon-30, Holman-16, Kennedy-14, Keeling-13), the eighth time they have done so this season after not accomplishing that feat at all last season.