Syracuse, N.Y. – Terrence Brown tallied 25 points, including the final go-ahead basket, to lead FDU to a 91-86 victory over the Le Moyne College men's basketball team in double overtime in Northeast Conference action on Friday night at Ted Grant Court.
Senior forward
Ocypher Owens (Orlando, Fla./Orlando Christian Prep/Indian River State) led the Dolphins with a double-double of 21 points (tied for his career high against a Division I opponent), including 17 points after halftime, and a career-best 13 rebounds, including 11 after halftime. Redshirt sophomore forward
Nate Fouts (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles/Kimball Union Academy) registered his first career double-double with 15 points, including 13 after halftime, and a career-high 10 rebounds, including seven in the second half. Sophomore guard
AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) tallied 18 points, including nine in the overtime sessions, and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. Fifth-year guard
Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va./Oak Hill Academy/Towson) posted 10 points.
Brown registered 15 of his points during the 10 minutes of overtime, including going 9-of-9 from the foul line, while finishing the game with nine rebounds and five assists. Jo'el Emanuel turned in 19 points, including 11 after halftime. Dylan Jones and Cameron Tweedy each posted 12 points, while Bismark Nsiah tallied 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and four blocks.
The teams opened the game by exchanging the lead five times in the initial four and one-half minutes of the contest, the last of which came in the midst of an 8-0 run by FDU to take a 14-6.
After Tweedy pushed the margin to 18-10 with 9:16 left, the Dolphins scored eight of the next nine points to get within one. Dancler snapped Le Moyne's scoring drought of five minutes with a fast-break basket, graduate student guard
Will Amica (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee/UAlbany) hit a jumper and made two free throws around an Emanuel foul shot and then Owens scored in the paint with 5:47 to go.
Following a jumper by freshman guard
Jakob Blakley (Elgin, Ill./Walter Payton Preparatory) to get the Dolphins within 22-20 with 2:54 left, the Knights scored six of the last eight points to take a 28-22 lead into the intermission. Ahmed Barba-Bey made a three-pointer and Emanuel had a conventional three-point play around a basket by Fouts.
After FDU scored the first four points of the second half to take a 10-point advantage, Le Moyne rattled off 13 of the next 15 points to take the lead. Owens scored the first six points of the streak, then assisted on a three-pointer by Jones Jr., who then hit an ensuing free throw, and then Owens put the Dolphins in front, 35-34, with a conventional three-point play with 16:17 remaining.
Emanuel put the Knights back in front with a dunk, but Le Moyne responded with 10 of the next 13 points to take its largest lead of the game, 45-39, with 13:14 left. Owens had a lay-up, Fouts drained a three-pointer, Owens had a tip-in and then Jones Jr. capped the run with a three-pointer off a dish from Owens.
Following over three minutes of scoreless play in the game, FDU used a 9-2 jaunt to take the lead back. Emanuel started the span with a lay-up, Tweedy scored the next five points over four possessions to tie the score at 46 and then Jameel Morris made two foul shots for a 48-47 lead with 7:15 left.
The lead was short-lived as Amica answered with a jumper to start a 7-0 run to push the Dolphins back in front by six with 4:46 remaining. Jones Jr. followed with a free throw, Amica hit another jumper and then Fouts scored in the paint.
Following two points from each team, the Knights scored nine of the next 10 points to take the lead back. Emanuel made two foul shots, Nsiah countered Dancler with one of his own, then Brown made a lay-up and two free throws to knot the score at 57. Nsiah then put the Knights in front with a lay-up with 1:38 left.
Fouts answered with two free throws 12 seconds later to tie the score again.
Each team had two empty possessions, which resulted in the game going to overtime.
FDU scored the first five points of overtime and eight of the initial nine of take a seven-point lead after just 1:26. Nsiah had a put-back dunk and then fed Jones for a three-pointer. After Fouts made one foul shot, Brown had a conventional three-point play for a 67-60 advantage.
Le Moyne responded with 11 of the next 15 points to even the score at 71. Dancler hit a three-pointer, but Brown countered with two free throws. Junior guard
Zek Tekin (Istanbul, Turkey/Ozel Esenkent Okaynus Anadolu Lisesi/Siena) then made a lay-up, had a tip-in and converted a foul shot to get the Dolphins within 69-68 with 1:46 to go. After Brown made a lay-up 15 seconds later, Fouts answered with a three-pointer 11 ticks later.
Nsiah put FDU back in front with a basket in the paint with 1:01 to go, but Tekin drew a foul with 33.9 seconds left and sank both foul shots to tie the score again.
The Knights committed a shot clock violation with 3.9 seconds left on its next possession, while the Dolphins were unable to get a shot off before time expired, sending the game to double overtime.
Following baskets by Emanuel and Fouts to start the second extra session, Brown made a lay-up and like the first overtime period, Jones drilled another three-pointer for a five-point advantage.
Le Moyne scored the next four points to get within one, 80-79, with 2:55 left, but Barba-Bey answered with a three-pointer. Dancler made a free throw 11 seconds later and Owens followed with a lay-up with 1:54 remaining to make it a one-point game once again, but that's as close as the Dolphins would get.
Brown drew a foul on FDU's next possession and sank both foul shots. After two empty possessions by each team, Owens made a foul shot with 21 seconds left to make it 85-83.
Brown made four free throws over the next 11 seconds around a missed lay-up by the Dolphins. Following a corner three-pointer from Dancler with three seconds left. Barba-Bey completed the scoring with two foul shots with 1.1 seconds left.
Le Moyne (5-12, 0-2 NEC), which has dropped its first two conference games for the first time since the 2007-08 season, remains home to face NEC-newcomer Mercyhurst University on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The Dolphins are 17-2 all-time against the Lakers dating back to each team's Division II days.