Le Moyne (1-2) vs. University of Massachusetts Minutemen (1-1)
Info: Thursday, Nov. 13 | 7:00 PM | Amherst, Mass. | Mullins Center
Watch: ESPN+
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Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=612884
UMass Links: Schedule | Roster | News

LAST TIME OUT
The Dolphins closed out their two-game road trip to Ohio with an 83-60 setback at Bowling Green. Graduate student forward Shilo Jackson led Le Moyne in the setback with career highs of 23 points (15 in the first half), 15 rebounds (eight in the first half) and four blocks. Redshirt junior guard Trent Mosquera recorded a career-best 20 points for the second straight game, including 11 in the first half, while pulling down a career-high seven rebounds.

YEAR #3
The Dolphins are in their third year transitioning to the Division I level (as members of the NEC) and Le Moyne is the only school in the third year of the transition process. The Dolphins went 15-17 in their first season at the Division I level, including 9-7 in NEC action to earn the fourth seed in the conference tournament. The Dolphins won their first game of the NEC Championship over FDU, 82-61, before falling in the semifinals at Merrimack. The program went 9-23 a year ago, including 4-12 in NEC play, and was the eighth seed in the conference tournament.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Dolphins and Minutemen are meeting on the hardwood for the first time and it is Le Moyne's second straight matchup against a member of the Mid-American Conference.

COMMON OPPONENTS
The Dolphins and Minutemen have four common opponents this year, Bowling Green, Ball State, Boston College and Central Connecticut State. The Dolphins visited Bowling Green on Sunday, take on Ball State on November 30 at The Lafayette Classic, visit Boston College on December 28, host Central Connecticut State on January 10 and visit the Blue Devils on February 19. UMass hosts Central Connecticut State on November 16, takes on Boston College on December 10, hosts Bowling Green on January 3 and visits the Falcons on February 28 and hosts Ball State on January 10 and visits the Cardinals on February 24.

JESUIT CONNECTION
The Dolphins face three fellow Jesuit institutions this season. They visit Xavier University on November 6, host Fairfield University on November 22 and head to Boston College on December 28.

WELCOME BACK
The Dolphins feature six returning letterwinners and two redshirts. Sam Donnelly is a second-year graduate student, Nate Fouts, Trent Mosquera and Kaelin Thomas are redshirt juniors, Deng Garang and Trevor Roe are redshirt sophomores and Jakob Blakley and Isaac Nyakundi are sophomores.

NEW FACES
The Dolphins welcomed seven new players to the program for 2025-26. Ametri Moss, who spent two years apiece at State College of Florida and North Florida, and Shilo Jackson, who joined the team following two years each at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Vincennes, are graduate students; Tennessee Rainwater, who enrolled at Le Moyne following two seasons at Utah Tech, and Samuel Hincapie, who came to Le Moyne after two years at Lake Land College, are juniors and Jakai Sanders is a sophomore after one year at Saint Peter's, while Eli Greenberg and Josiah Lee are freshmen.

NEC PRESEASON POLL
In the NEC preseason coaches' poll, the Dolphins were picked to finish ninth in the regular season standings, the same position they finished last year. LIU, which advanced to the semifinals last year, was the unanimous selection to win the league, while back-to-back regular season champion Central Connecticut State landed second in the preseason coaches poll. Stonehill College finished third and Mercyhurst University, which is eligible for the conference tournament this year, placed fourth. FDU, which fell to CCSU in the semifinals, landed fifth and Chicago State, last year's seventh seed, moved up a spot from a year ago. Defending tournament champion Saint Francis University placed seventh in the poll and Wagner College, the 2024 champion, finished eighth. Conference newcomer University of New Haven rounded out the poll in 10th.

COACH CHAMP
Le Moyne head coach Nate Champion '14 is the sixth-youngest head coach in Division I this season following back-to-back years as the second-youngest, celebrating his 34th birthday in early December. Tevon Saddler (30) at Nicholls is the youngest, while Saah Nimley (Charleston Southern), John Andrzejek (Campbell) and Zach Chu (Radford) are all 32 and Ronnie Thomas (Longwood) is 33. In his first five seasons leading the Dolphins, Champion has posted a 70-79 record and led the Dolphins to the conference tournament each season and the 2020 NCAA Tournament (canceled prior to first game due to COVID pandemic). Champion served as an assistant coach at fellow NEC member Stonehill during the 2016-17 season.

FIRST WINS
The Dolphins earned their first win as a Division I program on November 13, 2023 over Division III SUNY Canton, 105-46. They claimed their first victory as a Division I program over a Division I program on November 21, 2023 at CSUN, 80-70, during the first game of the Golden State Hoops Jam. They collected their first home victory as a Division I program over a Division I program on December 16, 2023 over Dartmouth College, 80-54. The 'Phins earned their first NEC victory on January 6, 2024 at FDU, 74-63.

SCOUTING UMASS
The Minutemen are led by fourth-year head coach Frank Martin. UMass is 47-47, including 24-30 in Atlantic 10 play, in his first three seasons. Martin came to UMass following 10 seasons as head coach at South Carolina and five seasons at Kansas State.

The Minutemen return five players, including a pair of starters, from its 2024-25 team that went 12-20 overall and 7-11 in the Atlantic 10, while adding seven transfers and three freshmen.
 
UMass is off to a 1-1 start to the season, with both games coming at home. The Minutemen opened the season with an 78-72 loss to Marshall in a MAC-Sun Belt Challenge matchup. Marcus Banks Jr. led the Minutemen with 18 points, while Leonardo Bettiol tallied 15 points and five rebounds and K'jei Parker and 13 points and six assists The Minutemen then defeated UAlbany on Saturday, 83-62. Bettiol led UMass with 23 points and eight rebounds. Daniel Hankins-Sanford had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds and Parker had 12 points.

WHAT'S NEXT:
Le Moyne will return home to host Niagara University on Monday at 7:00 p.m.