DETROIT (1/21/2017) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will look to split its weekend road trip as the Titans meet NKU on Sunday, Jan. 22.
Game time is set for 1 p.m., at the BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky.
Fans can catch all the action on ESPN3 and on ESPN College Extra with Neil Sika and Dave Cecutti on the call as well as on the radio on 910 AM Superstation with
Cliff Russell providing the sound. Live stats will also be provided.
Sophomore
Josh McFolley kept up his strong offensive play tallying a team-high 25 points at Wright State, including hitting 6-of-11 from downtown, while senior
Chris Jenkins collected his fourth double-double of the year with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Titans will return to the Motor City for a pair of home games as the Wisconsin teams come to town. Detroit Mercy will host Milwaukee on Friday, Jan. 27, and Green Bay on Sunday, Jan. 29.
Tickets to all home games start at just $10, $6 for children and seniors. To purchase tickets online, visit
detroittitans.com/tix. To purchase over the phone or for more information on game tickets, contact Director of Ticket Operations & Sales
Justin Hairston at 313-993-1700 ext. 7301 or at
hairstjj1@udmercy.edu.
VS. NKU
This is just the fourth career meeting between the two schools as the Titans try to even the series for the second-straight year with a win on the road.
ABOUT THE NORSE
The first time these two teams met, NKU had won six of seven, but the Norse have dropped three in a row and stand at 12-8 overall, 3-4 in the Horizon League.
Drew Mcdonald leads the team in scoring at 16.6 points and is second in the HL in rebounding at 8.3 per night.
Lavone Holland II is tallying 14.2 points - 12th in the league - and a team-high 3.7 assists, while Carson Williams is averaging 11.3 points and 6.2 rebounds.
NKU is eighth in the conference in scoring at 75.6 points and is fifth defensively giving up 71.2 per game.
1976-77 40-YEAR REUNION, TITANS TO RETIRE DUEROD'S JERSEY, VITALE RETURNING
It will be a fun, festive and exciting atmosphere when the Metro Series returns to Detroit Mercy as the Titans will hold a reunion weekend for the 1976-77 men's basketball team, which will feature a luncheon, a jersey retirement ceremony and the return of a basketball icon.
The date of the reunion is set for Feb. 10 when the Titans host Oakland.
The 40-year reunion of the Sweet 16 squad will feature a luncheon with most the team in attendance in the likes of John Long, Terry Duerod, Dennis Boyd, Ron Bostick, Wilbert McCormick and many more including Hall of Famer in head coach and current ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale.
At the game that night against the Golden Grizzlies, the team will be honored with the John Conti Letterman of Distinction Award at halftime and Duerod will have his jersey retired to hang with the other legendary Titans in a pregame ceremony.
HERE COMES THE PRESSURE
The Titans unleashed a new pressure defense five games ago and the results have been extremely positive for Detroit Mercy with 100 caused turnovers in that span.
Against Youngstown State, the Titans saw YSU commit 21 and turned those into 25 points.
At Oakland, the Titans forced the Golden Grizzlies into 25 turnovers on their own court - including 14 in the second half - a season high for Detroit Mercy with 25 points scored off those.
The two games before saw Detroit Mercy force UIC into 23 turnovers - with 10 steals - and then record 20 turnovers with 12 steals at Valparaiso. In both games, the Titans notched 27 points off turnovers.
The 25 turnovers by Oakland were the most since forcing Milwaukee into 25 in 2012.
TAKE IT AWAY
The Titans have registered a season-high 12 steals at Oakland and at Valparaiso in the last two weeks.
The 12 steals are the most since accumulating 13 at Northeastern in 2015.
Detroit Mercy has now posted 65 steals in the last seven games (9.2) and has the thief of the league in sophomore
Josh McFolley, who tops the conference with 1.8 steals per game.
As a team, the Titans are fifth in the HL in steals (6.5), but are leading the conference in league games at 9.1 per game.
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS
The Titans have shown some improvements on defense since the season has started.
After allowing teams to shoot over 50.0 percent in the first five games, the Titans have held 10 of their last 14 opponents to under that mark.
GOOD TEAMMATES
The Titans were credited with a season-high 19 assists against Youngstown State, the most since posting 22 against Michigan-Dearborn in 2015.
With 15 assists its last time out, Detroit Mercy now has six games with 15 or more assists, including in three straight contests.
RETURN TO SENDER
Detroit Mercy showed some toughness in the paint against Northern Kentucky on Dec. 29 swatting away a season-high 10 blocks, the most since getting 10 at Green Bay in 2001.
Junior
Jaleel Hogan was the rim protector for the most part blocking a career-best eight shots, the most by a Titan since Mike Harmon had eight against Green Bay in 2001.
The eight blocks are also tied for the most this season by a HL player.
GETTING THE FREE ONES
After struggling at the free throw line for much of the season, the Titans have connected on 106-of-150 (70.6%) in the last eight games.
In that span
Chris Jenkins is 21-of-23 (91.3%)
Josh McFolley is 21-of-27 (77.7%)
The Titans sank a season-high 22 free throws at Oakland (22-of-27) on Jan. 13.
Detroit Mercy is currently 10th in the league in free throw percentage at 65.1 percent, but have increased that to 69.9 percent in HL play, fifth in the conference.
LONG DISTANCE OFFENSE
The Titans nailed 15-of-30 from three-point range against Fort Wayne, the most since setting a school record with 18 against Milwaukee on Feb. 26, 2000. The 15 triples are also the most in the HL this season.
In the win over WKU, the Titans were 12-of-20 (54.0%). They were also 12-of-27 on the road at Valparaiso and drilled 14-of-26 (53.8%) in the win against Youngstown State.
Detroit Mercy has now reached double digit 3-pointers in seven games on the year, including five times in the last nine games with 13 at Wright State, 14 against Youngstown State and 12 at Valparaiso.
The Titans are currently second in the HL in three-point field goal percentage (36.7%) and third in three-point field goals per game (7.9).
UNSTOPPABLE
Junior
Jaleel Hogan has once again been an offensive force down low for the Titans as he leads the Horizon League and is 16th in the nation in field-goal percentage at 60.8 percent.
He is currently second in school history in career field-goal percentage at 59.6 percent trailing only Eli Holman '12 (60.5%).
CAREER NIGHT FOR MCFOLLEY
Sophomore
Josh McFolley is coming off a couple of great offensive games with 25 points at Wright State his last time out and a career-best 26 points against Youngstown State.
He has done a lot of his scoring from the outside with 14 triples in the last two games (14-of-22, 63.6%), including a career-high 8-of-11 against the Penguins and 6-of-11 at Wright State.
He now has five career games with 20 or more points and his 26-point effort bested his previous high of 25 points at ETSU earlier in the season, where he was 8-of-17 from the field and 7-of-9 from behind the arc.
He also hit 20-point territory with 24 in the win over WKU, where he was 6-of-9 from three-point range.
McFolley now has 15 career games with at least three triples in a game, including seven this season.
He also has 52 treys on the season after hitting just 32 last year.
JALETHAL
Junior
Jaleel Hogan scorched Oakland for a career-high 39 points and has now been in double figures in 14 games this season.
He has also led the team in scoring six times.
To start conference play, he posted a then career-high 22 points on 10-of-15 from the field against NKU and came back with 16 points hitting 6-of-9 field goals against Wright State, 17 points at UIC and eight points and eight rebounds at Valparaiso and eight points with a career-high four assists and a season-high three steals against Youngstown State.
He also had eight rebounds and a career-high eight blocks against the Norse.
Hogan is second on the team and 11th in the HL in scoring at 14.3 ppg., while standing second on the squad and 19th in the HL in rebounding at 5.0 per night.
In seven HL games, he is tallying 16.0 points - sixth in the league - on 61.8 percent shooting.
HIGH SCORING MCFOLLEY
Sophomore
Josh McFolley is leading the team and is 10th in the Horizon League in scoring at 14.6 points per game.
He is also third in the HL in three-point field goals per game (2.7) and ninth in three-point field-goal percentage (40.9%).
McFolley tallied a career-high 26 points against Youngstown State, where he hit eight 3-pointers and that was after an 11-point, three-assist, three-steal game at rival Oakland, where he iced the win hitting 4-of-4 free throws down the stretch.
He started the HL season with 15 points against NKU and had 13 points at UIC and 10 at Valparaiso.
He also had 18 points against Fort Wayne - where he had four 3-pointers - and 24 points - sinking six triples - in the win over WKU.
BEAST MODE
Not to many words can describe what junior
Jaleel Hogan did at Oakland on Jan. 13 in Detroit Mercy's 93-88 victory.
Hogan posted a career-high 39 points and 11 rebounds - good for his third career double-double.
He was also 17-of-24 from the field and 5-of-6 at the free throw line.
The 39 points is tied for the second most among HL players on the season, just one shy of the league mark this year.
The 39 points are the most by a Titan since Willie Green netted 41 against Wright State in 2003. It was also the most points by a Titan on the road since Green had 43 at UIC in 2003.
The 17 field goals were the most since Green connected on 18 in that game against the Flames, and are tied for the second most field goals in Division I this season.
HIGHEST SCORING FRESHMAN IN THE HL
Corey Allen is the highest scoring freshmen in the Horizon League at 12.5 points per game - tied for 15th in the HL.
He also leads the league in three-point field-goal percentage (46.5%) - hitting 40-of-68 on the season - and is tied for sixth in three-point field goals per game (2.2).
COREY GETTING IN A ZONE
Freshman
Corey Allen has notched double figures in scoring 10 times this season, including a Titan true freshman record of 33 points against Fort Wayne - where he scored 27 points in the second half.
He now has three 20-point games on the season.
Allen scored 17 points hitting 7-of-12 from the field and 2-of-4 from three with a season-tying five rebounds against in-state rival Oakland.
In HL play, he also had 23 against Wright State and 18 at WSU his last time out.
Some of his other big games have included 16 points against WKU, 16 points at Murray State and 20 points versus EMU.
In his last 13 games, he is averaging 14.5 points on 65-of-131 shooting (49.6%) and 34-of-69 (49.2%) from three.
In his first five games, Allen averaged 8.2 points on 36.6 percent shooting (15-of-41) and 35.3 percent (6-of-17) from long range.
CJ DOES IT ALL
Senior
Chris Jenkins is well known for his all-around play and is among the Titan leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.
He is fourth on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg.) - 23rd in the HL - while topping the squad on the boards (7.1 rpg.) - fourth in the HL. He is also tied for third on the squad with 1.7 assists per game and fourth with 12 steals.
He just picked up his eighth career double-double and fourth of the season with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds at Wright State.
He also posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds at Valparaiso.
Jenkins tallied a season-high 20 points against NKU at home - his eighth 20-point effort of his career - and that was after posting a double-double with 11 points and a career-best 16 rebounds against Fort Wayne.
With his 13 points at Wright State his last time out, Jenkins has now scored in double figures in 13 games on the season and his four double-doubles on the year makes him one of four HL players with at least four double-doubles in 2016-17 (Alec Peters-12, Drew McDonald-9, Tai Odiase-4).
Jenkins tallied his first double-double with 15 points and a then career-best 14 rebounds at Toledo.
Earlier this year, he netted a team-high 18 points at Florida State.
He has also just missed recording a couple of other double-doubles with 13 points and nine boards at Illinois and nine points with eight rebounds against Eastern Michigan.
Jenkins has handed out an assist in 16 games with a season-high five at ETSU.
YOU LITTLE THIEF
Sophomore
Josh McFolley has recorded a steal in 15 games this season, including 13 multi-steal contests and six with at least three takeaways.
In fact, he has recorded all six of the three-plus steal games in the last 11 contests.
He tied his career high with four steals at Toledo and has 23 steals in the last nine games with three against Oakland, UIC, WKU, Valparaiso and Fort Wayne and two at Bowling Green, against NKU and at Wright State.
McFolley leads the Horizon League with 1.8 steals per game, but is registering 2.1 per game in HL-only contests.
HARD WORK PAYS OFF
Senior walk-on
Patrick Robinson Jr. has been with the team for two years and has seen limited playing time, but he was ready when called upon.
Against Youngstown State on Jan. 16, he scored a career-high 10 points going 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from behind the arc in 10 minutes of action.
Robinson Jr.'s career high in points was five until that game and he had never scored more than one field goal in 18 career games.
At Wright State his last time out, he scored five points and pulled down a career-best three rebounds in just 17 minutes of action.
He now has 11 career field goals and nine have been scored this year, while eight of those 10 have been from three.
THE UGLY WHISTLE
The Titans were whistled for a season-high 36 fouls at Wright State as the Raiders were 33-of-45 at the free throw line.
Just two weeks ago at Valparaiso, the Titans were called for 31 fouls as the Crusaders were 33-of-42 at the line compared to 4-of-9 from Detroit Mercy.
At Oakland, Detroit Mercy was called for 29 fouls leading Oakland to get to the charity stripe 38 times.
DRE DAY
Junior
DeShawndre Black has had at least three assists in 10 games on the year.
He had a great game at Oakland, where he registered a season-high eight assists along with scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds.
He ran the offense dishing out seven assists against Manhattan and five assists at Murray State in the non-conference campaign.
Black also has a team-high 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season (51 assists, 24 turnovers).
He tied his season high with 14 points at Valparaiso, going 5-of-12 from the field with a season-high four 3-pointers. He also had four assists and a season-best four steals against the Crusaders.
Earlier this season, he scored 14 points at New Hampshire.
LONG BALL
Freshman
Cole Long is coming off one his best games as a rookie tallying a season-high nine points and seven rebounds at Wright State.
In the game before against Youngstown State, he recorded six points and six rebounds after notching those stats in the season opener against Adrian.
He made his first collegiate start against WKU and played a season-high 34 minutes, posting four points, four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
JUST PERFECT
Sophomore
Gerald Blackshear Jr. has been very active this season and just had a 10-point, four-rebound effort against Youngstown State.
Earlier in the season, he just missed a double-double by tying his career high with 12 points and pulling down a season-best nine rebounds at Bowling Green.
He was 6-of-9 against the Falcons and has connected on 50.0-percent or more from the field 10 times this year.
He helped the Titans to a win at Oakland pulling down six key rebounds in the contest.
At UIC, he was 4-of-5 from the field and ended with eight points and four boards.
Blackshear Jr. also had 10 points, five boards and a steal at Toledo and eight points, five rebounds and an assist at Murray State.
On the year, he is 44-of-72 (61.1%) from the field.
Last season, he shot 55.2 percent from the field in limited attempts.
2017 LITTLE CAESARS MOTOR CITY MADNESS UPDATE
The 2017 Little Caesars Horizon League Men's and Women's Basketball Championship will run concurrently from March 3-7, at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
Tickets to the 2017 Motor City Madness went on sale on Dec. 29 at
motorcitymadness.horizonleague.org.
The championship games will be held on Tuesday, March 7, with an automatic bid into the NCAA Men's and Women's Tournaments.
2017 marks the final year the Little Caesars Horizon League Men's and Women's Basketball Championships will be contested at Joe Louis Arena before moving to the state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena, currently under construction in downtown Detroit.
Over 20,900 fans attended the four-day tournament last year, the first neutral-site HL men's basketball championship since 2003.
