Le Moyne College Athletics

MEN'S BASKETBALL TO KICK OFF NORTHEAST CONFERENCE ACTION FRIDAY AT LIU

1/2/2025 4:00:00 PM

By: Dylan Dariano, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Le Moyne (5-10) vs. LIU (4-11) - NEC
Info: Saturday, Jan. 3 | 7:00 p.m. | Brooklyn, N.Y. | Barclays Center
Video: NEC Front Row (http://necfrontrow.com/game/12958)
Radio: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://www.liuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

Brooklyn, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team will kick off Northeast Conference action against the LIU Sharks on the road at Barclays Center, the home of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets and the WNBA Champion New York Liberty, on Friday, Jan. 3 at 7:00 p.m.

Series History:
Le Moyne is 2-1 in matchups against LIU all-time with their first win coming in the 1960-61 season before the two squads split their first season series as conference opponents in 2023-24.

The Dolphins opened the series by grabbing a 87-74 victory on Ted Grant Court on Jan. 27 in which LIU allowed 43 points to 2023-24 graduate guard Kaiyem Cleary and 12 points to current fifth-year guard Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va./Oak Hill Academy/Towson).

The Sharks came away with a win on their home court, 76-64, in the second game on Feb. 22, as Jones tallied another 12 points and sophomore guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) put up 10 for the Dolphins.

Common Opponents:
Outside of conference rivals, the two teams took on a pair of similar opponents this season in Binghamton and Niagara.

LIU fell to Binghamton, 75-70, on Saturday, Nov. 30 before the Bearcats also dropped Le Moyne, 72-62, on Saturday, Dec. 7 as part of the second annual Battle for the Interstate.

Both squads also came away with losses against Niagara, with the Purple Eagles taking down the Sharks, 60-52, on Sunday, Dec. 1 and the Dolphins, 88-69, this past Sunday, Dec. 29.

Dolphins' Season:
Le Moyne heads into NEC play after wrapping up their non-conference schedule with a 5-9 record. The Dolphins ended the first segment of their season on a two-game losing streak, as they fell to Notre Dame, 91-62, on Sunday, Dec. 22 and most recently, Niagara, 88-69, on Sunday, Dec. 29.

In the loss to the Purple Eagles on Sunday, Dancler recorded a team-high 17 points while shooting 3-5 from three and adding two rebounds, three assists, and a career-high four steals for the Dolphins, effective enough to be named an NEC Prime Performer on Dec. 30. He is averaging 8.9 points with a .426 clip from behind the arc and 12 steals this season.

Senior forward Ocypher Owens (Orlando, Fla./Orlando Christian Prep/Indian River State) appeared in his first game since Saturday, Dec. 7 and eighth overall in the loss to Niagara, dropping 11 points and bringing in a team-high 10 rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench. Owens leads the team in rebounds (8.1) and minutes per game (32.3) while averaging 11.6 points for Le Moyne.

Redshirt junior forward Dwayne Koroma (Berlin, Germany/Bishop Walsh (Md.)/Iona/Salt Lake C.C./UT Arlington) tallied nine points on 4-4 shooting from the field and nabbed six boards for the Dolphins in the loss. He is currently leading the team in points per game (12.0), field-goal percentage (.765), and three-point percentage (.500), while sitting second in rebounds per game (6.5), assists (29), steals (18), and blocks (six).

As a team, Le Moyne ranks second in the NEC in scoring offense (75.2 points per game), second in defensive rebounds (25.3 per game), third in rebounding offense (34.6 per game), and fourth in field goal percentage (.449) heading into conference play.

A Look at the Sharks:
LIU will host Le Moyne sitting with a 4-11 record in non-conference play this season. The Sharks are 0-4 since Wednesday, Dec. 11 with losses coming at the hands of UMass Lowell, Missouri, Mount St, Mary's (Md.), and Lehigh. The squads most recent win came at home against York College (NY), 103-53, on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

The Sharks 70-69 loss to Lehigh at home on Saturday, Dec. 21 marked the end to their non-conference schedule this season. Senior forward Jamal Fuller (20), freshman forward Shadrak Lasu (16), and junior guard Blake Lander (10) were the Sharks three double-digit scorers against the Mountain Hawks.

Fuller is second on the team with 10.5 points per game and third in both assists (18) and steals (16) through 12 appearances this season. Lasu leads the squad with 6.4 rebounds per game and 15 blocks while starting in all of his 13 games for the Sharks. Lander has put up 8.1 points and 18 assists while finding minutes in all 15 team games.

LIU ranks first in the NEC in offensive rebounds with 12.2 per game, third in field-goal percentage defense, allowing only .430 on shooting, and fourth in both blocks (3.0 per game) and steals (7.9 per game) through 15 games.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will return home to host FDU on Military Appreciation Night at Ted Grant Court on Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:00 p.m.

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