Another day, another Mo Habhab double-double.
Habhab and Jon Sanders II led the Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team to a key 72-62 victory over the University of Detroit Mercy in another chapter of the in-state rivalry.
On Nov. 18, 2025, the Eagles bussed 29 miles for a chance to play on the legendary Dick Vitale court for the 87th all-time meeting with the Detroit Mercy Titans. Both teams were looking to get back on track after suffering 90-83 defeats against their previous opponents. The Eagles lost to Indiana University Indianapolis on Nov. 14, while the Titans fell to the University of Toledo on Nov. 15.
Eastern took on a familiar face, the point guard for the Titans — Orlando Lovejoy, who used to wear the green and white before transferring to Detroit Mercy for the 2024 season. Lovejoy, who led his team in assists and steals, was vital for the Eagles to shut down while hunting for another victory.
Addison Patterson returned to the starting lineup for the Eagles after the foot injury he sustained in the last game's loss to IU Indy.
First half
The Eagles got to business quickly, building a 10-2 lead while pulling down four offensive rebounds all before the under-16 timeout. After the timeout, the Titans went to the bench and were able to build some offensive momentum and bring the game back within five.
Former Detroit Mercy Titan turned Eastern Michigan Eagle Mak Manciel was the star early on, hitting two threes and an easy layup for a quick eight points that gave the Eagles an early 20-15 lead.
The Titans continued to fight back and made the necessary adjustments to keep the Eagles off balance. After switching up their defense and speeding up their offense in transition, Eastern Michigan allowed Detroit Mercy to go on a 24-10 run during the final 10 minutes of the first half.
The Titans won the turnover battle in the first half and went into halftime with a 9-point lead, the score 39-30.
Second half
The second half opened quickly with the Titans returning to where they left off, scoring a quick four points before the Eagles could counter. Some fouls by the Titans brought the Eagles to the foul line, where their free throws helped pull the game within seven.
The game continued to get scrappy as both teams gathered six fouls within the first four minutes of the second half.
Both teams struggled with shooting in the second half. The Titans maintained a 9-point lead throughout this portion of the contest thanks in large part to the continued missed shots by both teams.
The teams had gone a full five minutes without a point being scored before Addison Patterson finally broke the seal with a three-point shot for his first points of the game. The shot dropped the Titans lead to just six before Mo Habhab provided a spin move layup that brought the game even closer. The Titans were forced to take a timeout holding on to a 47-43 lead.
Patterson came alive in the second half when the Eagles needed him most. A rim-shaking dunk by the seventh-year senior tied the game at 47 before Patterson was called for a technical foul and the Titans quickly regained the lead.
Habhab and Patterson were quiet in the first half but found their stride in the second half. However, the Titans and Lovejoy refused to go away as they continued to scratch and claw for the lead. Lovejoy led his team with 20 points but wasn’t able to finish the job.
Another massive dunk by Godslove Nwabude pushed the Eagles lead to four and forced the Titans to call a timeout. The timeout wasn’t able to slow down the Eagles' momentum as they continued to build their lead.
As the clock began to run down, the Titans found themselves in desperation mode but were never able to gain any momentum against a hungry Eagle team. The Eagles completely shut down the Titan offense and outscored them 42-23 in the second half.
The final score was 72-62 as the Eagles earned their second victory of the season and returned home to Ypsilanti as a .500 team.
Jon Sanders II scored a season high of 17 points to lead the Eagles in scoring. Patterson scored all 15 of his points in the second half, while Habhab had a monster day all over the stat sheet. 11 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high five assists from Habhab pushed the Eagles over the edge and allowed them to secure victory. This is the redshirt freshman's third double-double of the season in just four games.
The Eagles showed their mental fortitude after being down 13 points early in the second half and flying back to earn a 10-point victory over the Titans.
What’s next
The Eagles will be back in action Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, as they welcome another in-state rival, the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. Fans can catch the game on ESPN+ or listen to Greg Steiner and Tom Helmer on the WEMU Radio Network.
