Greg Wall

MEN'S BASKETBALL TO CONCLUDE JANUARY HOME SLATE FRIDAY AGAINST CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE

1/24/2025 7:28:00 AM

By: Dylan Dariano, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Le Moyne (7-13, 2-3) vs. Central Connecticut State (12-6, 3-2) - NEC
Info: Friday, Jan. 24 | 7:00 p.m. | Syracuse, N.Y. | Ted Grant Court
Video: NEC Front Row (http://necfrontrow.com/game/12932)
Radio: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sidearmstats/mbball/

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team will host Central Connecticut State University in an NEC matchup at Ted Grant Court on Friday, Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m.

Series History:
Le Moyne and Central Connecticut State have faced off 10 times in their program histories, with the Dolphins holding a 7-3 advantage dating back to the 1949-50 season. After their initial matchup, the two teams did not meet for another 20 years until meeting annually from 1969 to 1975. The squads met once more in the 1982-83 season before becoming conference rivals when Le Moyne moved to Division I prior to the 2023-24 campaign.

Last season, the Dolphins swept the series against the Blue Devils, winning, 75-73, on the road in New Britain, Conn. on Jan. 19 and again at home, 69-64, in overtime to clinch an NEC Tournament berth on Feb. 15.

Common Opponents:
The Dolphins and Blue Devils shared one common opponent in their non-conference schedules earlier this season, as Binghamton traveled to both campuses for a matchup against the NEC members.

The Bearcats first headed to Connecticut and fell, 64-56, to CCSU before traveling to Syracuse for their game against Le Moyne in which they came away with a 72-62 victory in the second annual "Battle for the Interstate".

Dolphins' Season:
Le Moyne sits with a 7-13 record overall and kicked off NEC action earlier this month after concluding their non-conference schedule with a 5-10 record. The Dolphins opened conference play with two straight losses at the hands of LIU, 78-62 on the road on Jan. 3, and FDU, 91-86 in double overtime at home on Jan. 10.

Since then, the team has gone 2-1 with wins coming against Mercyhurst, 79-63, at home on Sunday, Jan. 12 and most recently Stonehill, 73-72, in a nail-biter at home this past Monday, Jan. 20. The team took a 88-72 loss at the hands of Chicago State between the two victories on the road on Saturday, Jan. 18.

The Dolphins currently sit just two games out of second place in the NEC, a conference in which eight of its nine teams have either two or three victories since the New Year.

Graduate guard Robby Carmody (Mars, Pa./Mars Area/Notre Dame/Mercer) led all 'Phins with 20 points against Stonehill in their most recent matchup, as he shot 3-4 from behind the arc and added nine made free-throws to the statsheet. He added seven rebounds and one block in his 37 minutes of action. Carmody is currently second on the team in points per game (11.7) and free-throw percentage (.842) through his 15 appearances this season.

Just behind Carmody with 19 points was sophomore guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport), Le Moyne's only other double-digit scorer against the Skyhawks. Dancler flirted with a triple-double in the victory, as he tallied seven rebounds and a team-high nine assists (the most of any Dolphin this season) to go along with two steals in 35 minutes on the court. Dancler is averaging 10.7 points with a .431 shooting percentage from three and is second on the squad with 52 assists this year.

Redshirt junior Dwayne Koroma (Berlin, Germany/Bishop Walsh (Md.)/Iona/Salt Lake C.C./UT Arlington) recorded nine points and a team-leading 11 rebounds, as well as two assists, one block, and one steal in the win on Monday night. He is putting up 11.3 points on a team-high .722 shooting percentage and is averaging 6.8 rebounds while having played in all 20 team games.

After starting his seventh game of the season, redshirt sophomore Nate Fouts (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles/Kimball Union Academy) registered another nine points for the Dolphins and added three rebounds and five assists in nearly 30 minutes on the hardwood. Fouts has worked to 7.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while sitting second on the squad with nine rebounds while also playing in every game of Le Moyne's 2024-25 campaign thus far.

Le Moyne is on opposite ends of the conference scoring ranks, as they sit first in scoring offense with 74.4 points per conference matchup but are allowing the most, as well, letting up 78.4 per game. The 'Phins are also first in assists, with 13.6 per game, and second in team rebounding, averaging 36.4 boards per game, but have the worst turnover margin in the conference at -5.0 per contest.

A Look at the Blue Devils:
Central Connecticut State is currently 12-6 overall with a 3-2 record in conference action. The Blue Devils went 9-4 in non-conference play, including a three-game win streak against Fairfield, Quinnipiac, and Johnson & Wales (RI) to wrap up that portion of their schedule from Dec. 18-Dec. 29.

The Blue Devils opened their NEC slate with two straight road wins over Saint Francis, 74-59, on Friday, Jan. 3, and Mercyhurst, 62-50, on Sunday, Jan. 5. The squad then returned home and fell in back-to-back matchups against Wagner, 62-57, on Friday, Jan. 10, and LIU, 54-52, on Sunday, Jan. 12.

CCSU found their luck again on the road, however, in their most recent game against FDU, as they took down the Knights, 71-60, last Saturday, Jan. 18.

Senior forward Jayden Brown led the Blue Devils with 16 points against FDU, going 3-7 from three-point range and adding six rebounds, three assists, and one block in 30 minutes. Brown has tallied 10.4 points, third-most on the squad, along with 4.3 rebounds and is second on the team with 15 blocks through 18 games started.

Senior guard Jordan Jones recorded 12 points for Central Connecticut State, going 5-5 from the charity stripe with one rebound, a team-high five assists, and one steal in the win. He is tied for the top spot on the Blue Devils with 12.5 points and leads the team with 62 assists and 27 steals in 18 starts this season.

Senior forward Abdul Momoh also tallied 12 points on 6-9 shooting from the floor with a team-leading 10 rebounds and one assist in 28 minutes of action. Momoh is averaging 8.6 points and leads the squad with 5.6 rebounds per game and 23 total blocks in his 17 starts for CCSU.

Rounding out the double-digit scorers against FDU was junior guard Devin Haid with 10 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one block. Haid is tied with Jones for the team-lead in points per game (12.5) and Momoh in rebounds per game with 5.6 through his 17 games started.

Senior guard Joe Ostrowsky was the final starter in the team's win on Saturday, and he registered nine points, three rebounds, and one assist in 26 minutes on the court. Ostrowsky has started in all 18 team games and has put up 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting at a nearly 93% rate from the free-throw line, the team-high.

Central Connecticut State is second to only LIU in scoring margin in NEC play, earning 6.2 more points per game than they allow. The Blue Devils are first in the conference in blocked shots per game (5.0) but have tallied the least steals (4.6) and assists (10.8) per matchup through their five conference games.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will play in the first of four-straight road matchups as they head to Teaneck, N.J. to take on FDU (7-13, 3-2) in their second clash of the season on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7:00 p.m.

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