Complete game notes (.pdf)
GAME 11
Western Michigan (1-6, 0-0 MAC) at Detroit (4-6, 0-2 HL)
Date: Thurs., Dec. 8, 2011
Tip Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Detroit, Mich.
Arena: Calihan Hall (8,295)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/udmercy/mbball
Live Video: http://horizonleague.org/live/4566
ON TAP
Detroit looks to build on a solid win over St. John's with a visit from in-state rival Western Michigan Thursday night. The game is the back end of a Titan doubleheader and the men's tip is slated for 7:30 p.m. (or 30 minutes following the women's tip, whichever is later).
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
WMU registered its first win of the season with an 80-58 win over Hope College in its last outing, Nov. 30. Matt Stainbrook leads the team with a 15.4 points per game average. He opened the season with a career-best 32-point effort at South Dakota State, but has just one 20-point game since and was held scoreless at Purdue (Nov. 23).
THE SERIES WITH WMU
Detroit holds a 28-24 edge in the all-time series between the schools. UDM and WMU have met each year for the past 18 seasons, the longest current streak for a non-conference opponent. The home team has won nine of the past 10 contests.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Detroit will play at nationally-ranked Alabama Sunday before closing out the bulk of its non-conference schedule, hosting Mississippi State and Alabama State before Christmas. Horizon League play resumes Dec. 29 when the Titans head to the Windy City for stops at UIC (Dec. 29) and Loyola (Dec. 31).
LAST TIME OUT
Ray McCallum scored a game-high 21 points and Chase Simon added 20 as the Detroit Titans dispatched St. John's, 69-63 Monday night on Dick Vitale Night. The Titans, clad in their retro throwback uniforms, made the night a complete success by grabbing an early 8-0 lead and fending off each Red Storm rally in the second half.
DECEMBER DEJA VU
The Broncos and Titans met last year-- on this same date-- Dec. 8. WMU won a close 71-69 contest. Ray McCallum led all players with 19 while Chase Simon added 18.
RANK AND FILE
Following Thursday's tilt vs. Western Michigan, the Titans will face some of the nations best as they travel to #15/16 Alabama Sunday and return home for a Dec. 17 tip against #17/18 Mississippi State. This season's schedule has featured a pair of schools from two power conferences: BIG EAST (Notre Dame, St. John's) and SEC (Alabama, Mississippi State).
SCHEDULE LULLS
The early schedule was a rough one for WMU, seeing the Broncos travel to South Dakota, Puerto Rico, Indiana and Washington for the first six contests. It's slowed considerably since as Western hasn't played since its home opener on Nov. 30. In that stretch, Detroit has played three games and will be playing its fourth game in eight nights Thursday.
IN THE BOOKS
Junior Brandon Romain got his first action as a Titan, playing the closing minutes of the St. John's win. He split a pair of free throws to notch his first Division I point of his career. The lefty guard transferred to Detroit from Westchester Community College.
