LE MOYNE (8-11, 3-2) vs. Long Island University (4-14, 3-3)
Saturday, Jan. 27 - 2:00 p.m.
Ted Grant Court - Syracuse, N.Y.
Video: NEC Front Row
Radio: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
 
Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne men's basketball looks for its third straight win when Long Island University visits Ted Grant Court on Saturday.
 
LIU, which is led by second-year head coach and 17-year NBA veteran Rod Strickland, struggled immensely to start the season but has turned it around in conference play. The Sharks went just 1-11 over the course of a difficult non-NEC slate. The sluggish start included losses to Air Force, Pepperdine, UCLA, the University of Miami and Rutgers. Long Island secured its lone early-season victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in an 83-68 win. The Sharks had lost seven consecutive games entering their NEC schedule.
 
Things quickly changed for LIU, which won its first two conference games over Wagner and Stonehill. Long Island then hit a rut, dropping three straight contests to Sacred Heart, Saint Francis and Central Connecticut State. Le Moyne is 2-1 against those opponents in 2023-24. The Sharks got back on track on Thursday with a close 63-60 win over Stonehill to complete the season sweep. Long Island hit a three-pointer with two-tenths of a second remaining to secure its third NEC win of the season.
 
Guard Tai Strickland, who made the game-winning field goal against Stonehill, leads LIU in scoring. The graduate student averages 14.1 points and is second on the Sharks with 39 assists. Strickland has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight appearances, including a 27-point outing against UAlbany. He also grabs just under four rebounds per game and leads LIU with 32 steals.
 
Freshman Eric Acker has been strong for the Sharks this season. The guard puts up 13 points per contest and leads the team with 57 assists. Acker had a career-high 23 points during LIU's first win over Stonehill. He has scored 10 or more points in all but three contests in 2023-24. Acker also ranks fourth on LIU in rebounding.
 
Junior Tana Kopa is the final LIU player averaging more than 10 points this season. He's been on fire as of late, averaging over 21 points in his last three matchups. On the year, Kopa is averaging 11.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, is second in steals, and leads LIU in blocks.
 
The Sharks have struggled from the field this season, shooting just 40.3% from the field. Opponents make shots at a 46.4% clip against the Sharks. LIU is just 1-11 away from home. Its one road victory came against Stonehill on January 6.
 
Le Moyne enters Saturday's contest on a two-game winning streak. The Dolphins downed Saint Francis in emphatic fashion on Sunday, crushing the Red Flash by 37 points. The victory was Le Moyne's third biggest in 2023-24.
 
The Dolphins had six different players score in double figures against Saint Francis. Graduate student Luke Sutherland led the way with 18 of his own. The forward hit four three-pointers and had three rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Sutherland played just 20 minutes against the Red Flash. It was his best offensive performance since Le Moyne's win over Dartmouth on December 16.
 
Guard Kaiyem Cleary had another strong performance last weekend. The graduate student had 15 points, three rebounds, and a steal and block respectively. Cleary was named the NEC Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday following Le Moyne's wins over Central Connecticut State and Saint Francis. He leads the Dolphins averaging 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds.
 
Isaiah Salter (15), Nate Fouts (11), Trent Mosquera (11) and Darrick Jones Jr. (10) rounded out a strong performance against the Red Flash. No Dolphin played more than 28 minutes in the win. Le Moyne shot nearly 60% from the field and over 52% from three as the Dolphins buried their most three-pointers in a home game in the program's history with 18.
 
Le Moyne's matchup with LIU is its final of a two-game homestand. The Dolphins head on the road following Saturday's contest for four straight road games. The stretch begins with Wagner on Thursday, February 1. Le Moyne does not return home until February 15 when it hosts CCSU.