Le Moyne (7-14, 2-4) vs. FDU (8-13, 4-2) - NEC
Info: Thursday, Jan. 30 | 7:00 p.m. | Hackensack N.J. | Bogota Savings Bank Center
Video: NEC Front Row (http://necfrontrow.com/game/12816) & YES Network (https://gothamsports.com/)
Radio: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://fduknights.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
 
Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team will travel to take on conference rival FDU for the second time this season on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7:00 p.m.

Series History:
Le Moyne and FDU are notched up 2-2 all-time with each of the four matchups occurring over the past two seasons. The programs' first matchup on Jan. 6, 2024 marked Le Moyne's first NEC victory as the Dolphins took down the Knights, 74-63, on the road behind 2024 graduate guard Kaiyan Cleary's 23 points and an additional 10 points each from current 'Phins junior guard Trent Mosquera and sophomore guard AJ Dancler. 

FDU came out on top, 68-58, in the second regular season matchup of the year on Feb. 24 in Syracuse before Le Moyne eliminated the Knights in the quarterfinals of the conference playoffs, 82-61, at home on Mar. 6. 2024. Graduate forward Luke Sutherland (22 points) and current fifth-year guard Darrick Jones Jr (17) led the Dolphins in points in what was the program's first NEC playoff appearance.

In Le Moyne's first home conference game this season, FDU evened the all-time series by coming away with a 91-86 double overtime victory on Friday, Jan. 10. Four Dolphins scored in double-digits in the game as senior forward Ocypher Owens led with 21 against the Knights, helping the team reach overtime with 17 of those points being scored in the second half of regulation. 

Dolphins' Season:
Le Moyne has played to a 7-14 record overall after beginning the season with a 5-10 record against non-conference opponents. Since NEC play began on Friday, Jan. 3, the 'Phins have gone 2-4 and sit eighth in the conference standings, just ahead of newcomer Chicago State. 

The Dolphins began conference action with two straight losses at the hands of LIU, 78-62, on the road on Jan. 3 and at home in their first matchup with FDU one week later. The squad bounced back in their first NEC matchup against Mercyhurst as they came away with a 79-63 victory at home on Sunday, Jan. 12 but fell on the road to Chicago State, 88-72, on Saturday, Jan. 18. 

In their two most recent matchups, Le Moyne hosted Stonehill on Monday, Jan. 20 and snagged a tight 73-72 victory over the Skyhawks before falling to Central Connecticut State, 90-73, at home on Friday, Jan. 24. 

Sophomore guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) led Le Moyne in scoring against CCSU as he drained 18 points while completing three shots from behind the arc. He added a team-high seven assists, three rebounds, and two blocks in 40 minutes on the court against the Blue Devils, as well. Amongst NEC players, Dancler is currently ranked fifth in points per game (15.8), second in assists per game (5.3), and sixth in minutes per game (34.7) in conference action this season.

Right behind Dancler was graduate guard Robby Carmody (Mars, Pa./Mars Area/Notre Dame/Mercer) who tallied 15 points on 5-8 shooting from three-point range, two assists, one rebound, and one steal in the matchup. Carmody is second on the team in points per game with 11.9 and leads the squad with an .842 free-throw percentage through 16 games played. 

Senior forward Ocypher Owens (Orlando, Fla./Orlando Christian Prep/Indian River State) rounded out the Dolphins' double-digit scoring attack as he recorded 10 points and added four rebounds in 25 minutes. Owens leads Le Moyne with 12.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while also adding a team-high 15 blocks through his 13 games this season.

Redshirt sophomore forward Nate Fouts (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles/Kimball Union Academy) was given the start against CCSU and registered nine points, four rebounds, and six assists while being productive on both ends of the court in the loss. Fouts is the only Dolphin to appear in all 21 team games this season and he has worked to 8.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while sitting second on the roster with nine blocks. 

The 'Phins lead the NEC in offensive scoring (73.7 points per game) yet are last in scoring margin as they have allowed over 80 points to their opponents through six conference matchups. 

A Look at the Knights:
The Knights are currently 8-13 overall but have earned a 4-2 conference record and currently sit third in the NEC behind LIU (6-2) and CCSU (5-2). FDU began their season with a 4-11 record against non-conference opponents and even went into NEC play in early January on a four-game losing streak dating back to early December. 

Once conference action began, however, FDU immediately turned it around and won back-to-back matchups against Wagner, 71-59, and Le Moyne on the road from Jan. 5-10. The Knights fell in their next two games at home against SFU, 75-71, on Sunday, Jan. 12 and CCSU, 71-60, on Saturday, Jan. 18 but rebounded and are now on a two-game winning streak. 

In those most recent matchups, the Knights downed Chicago State, 58-48, on Monday, Jan. 20 and Stonehill, 65-54, on Sunday, Jan. 26 both on the road. FDU is still looking for its first home conference victory of the season. 

Sophomore guard Terrence Brown put up a game-high 25 points on 3-6 shooting from beyond the arc while going 4-7 from the charity stripe in their win over Stonehill. Brown also added a team-leading 10 rebounds along with one assist and three steals. He currently leads the NEC with 21.4 points per game and is fourth in rebounds with 7.6 boards through his five conference appearances. 

Sophomore guard Jameel Morris recorded nine points off the bench while shooting 4-4 from the field and added two rebounds and one steal for the Knights. Morris has appeared in 20 games this season, all off the bench, and has worked to 3.9 points per game and 16 steals for FDU.

The rest of the Knights' starters combined for just 18 points in the victory, but the bench held their own and scored 22 en route to the win over the Skyhawks. 

FDU has scored the third most points per game (69.3) in conference matchups despite possessing the lowest team field goal percentage (.399) in the NEC. The Knights lead in rebounds per game (37.8), however, and are limiting their opponents to a .418 shooting percentage. 

What's Next:
Le Moyne will remain on the road and head to Staten Island, N.Y. to take on Wagner College (11-9, 3-4) in their first matchup of the season on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 1:00 p.m.