Greg Wall

DOLPHINS SET TO HOST 11-1 SETTERS TOMORROW ON TED GRANT COURT

1/4/2022 2:31:00 PM

By: James McGlynn, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

Syracuse, N.Y. - On Wednesday, January 5, the two teams currently atop the Northeast-10 Women's Basketball Southwest Division Standings will battle on Ted Grant Court at 5:00 p.m. EST. The Le Moyne College Dolphins (5-2, 3-1 NE10) will host conference opponent Pace University (11-1, 5-0 NE10) tomorrow evening. The Setters are winners of their last six contests, beating their opponents by an average of 17.5 points per game during that stretch. The Dolphins are coming off a 71-61 NE10 Conference victory on the road over American International College on Saturday.

Le Moyne senior forward Emma Brinker (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora) led the Dolphins in scoring at AIC, pouring in 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds to complete her sixth double-double through Le Moyne's first seven contests of the season. On the year Brinker is averaging 19.4 points and 12.1 rebounds in 29.1 minutes of action on 51% shooting from the field and 72% from the foul line.

Redshirt-junior guard Saeeda Abdul-Aziz (Schenectady, N.Y./Mohonasen/Davidson) is averaging 11.9 points for Le Moyne, and is grabbing an important 5.7 rebounds a game from the guard position.

Fellow junior guard Lytoya Baker (Rochester, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) is also averaging over five rebounds per game (5.6 boards per contest) along with 9.6 points, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 34.7 minutes of action through the team's first seven games.

Senior guard Erin Fouracre's (Loudonville, N.Y./Colonie Central) insertion back into the lineup at AIC following her absence against Ashland gave the Dolphins a spark during their first road win of the season. Fouracre provided 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a couple crucial steals during her team's 10-point conference victory on Saturday. On the season Fouracre is playing a team-high 35.7 minutes per game as the Dolphins' lead guard with averages of 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 5.8 assists (second highest assist average in the conference).

Senior forward Jenna Zimmerman (Adams, N.Y./South Jefferson), who Head Coach Mary Grimes referred to as a "silent assassin" during the coach's pre-season interview, does a little bit of everything for the Dolphins. Zimmerman, who has already amassed over 2,000 career minutes played through less than two and a half seasons as a Dolphin, is averaging 9.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1 steal and 1.1 blocks per game through the team's first seven contests. Zimmerman is clearly an All-Conference caliber player, and is just starting to find her jump shot from long-distance.

The Setters of Pace University are undefeated in conference competition - with wins over AIC, New Haven, Saint Rose, SCSU, and Adelphi - and have won their last six games, mostly in dominating fashion. Graduate forward Lauren Schetter has scored 29 points in a game twice already this season, and is coming off a 26-point performance during her team's conference victory over Southern Connecticut State. Schetter, an NE10 Second Team All-Conference selection following the 2019-20 season, is averaging 22.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game on 55% shooting from the field and 72% from the foul line. One might assume that Schetter sees her fair share of double teams in the post, which would explain her 3.2 turnovers per game.

Pace senior guard Lauren Hackett is contributing 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 5.3 assists, which puts her right behind Fouracre with the third highest assist average in the Northeast-10. Senior guard Kelsey Quain is averaging 6.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.5 minutes of action per game for the Setters. Graduate guard Naya Rivera (4.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists) and sophomore guard Katumina Mansaray (3.7 points in 25.6 minutes per game) round out the starting lineup for Pace. Graduate forward Jasmine White is averaging 6.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game off the bench.

The last time these two programs met on February 25, 2020 in Syracuse, Le Moyne came away with a 55-42 victory in their regular season-finale. Then-sophomores Fouracre and Zimmerman each scored 12 points during the Dolphin victory. Le Moyne has won each of the last four matchups between the two sides. The last Pace victory came during the 2017-18 season, when the Setters beat the Dolphins by at least 20 points in both regular season matchups.

Through Le Moyne's first seven games, their opponents are shooting 36% from three-point land. The Setters have shot 32% from three during their 12 games this season. Guarding the three-point line will be a point of emphasis for the Dolphins.

As a team, the Dolphins are grabbing an astounding 47 rebounds per game, including an NE10-leading 18.4 offensive rebounds per game. Le Moyne opponents are averaging 32.6 rebounds per game with just 10.4 offensive rebounds per contest. Le Moyne grabbed 320 offensive rebounds through 28 games during the 2019-20 season, and through their first seven games this season they have pulled down a total of 129 offensive boards as a unit. While Zimmerman and Brinker are obvious rebounding savants, the consistently high team rebounding numbers are the result of a squad that rebounds the ball from all five positions. Guards Saeeda Abdul-Aziz and Lytoya Baker are combining for over 10 rebounds per game, and point guard Erin Fouracre has been known to get her nose dirty fighting for long rebounds. When reserve first-year guard Emily Florvil (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth) checks into the game, she will attack the glass as hard as anyone. The Dolphins have made a concerted effort to dominate the glass, and their ability to create second-chance opportunities with offensive rebounds gives them an advantage over smaller teams.

If you're a basketball fan in Central New York, you're not going to want to miss this matchup.

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