Greg Wall

MEN'S BASKETBALL HOSTS LIU ON ESPN+ TO CLOSE OUT HOME SLATE

2/22/2025 1:56:00 AM

By: Dylan Dariano, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Le Moyne (9-19, 4-9) vs. LIU (13-15, 9-4) - NEC
Info: Saturday, Feb. 22 | 4:00 p.m. | Syracuse, N.Y. | Ted Grant Court
Video: ESPN+ (https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/0f659186-ae75-4ac3-acef-8d40f4f5d1c6)
Radio: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team will wrap up their four-game homestand and play their final game of the 2024-25 season at Ted Grant Court against Northeast Conference rival LIU on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 4:00 p.m. The game will air exclusively on ESPN+ at the above link.

Series History:
Le Moyne and LIU are notched up 2-2 all-time in series history with their first meeting ending in a Dolphins victory amid the 1960-61 season before the two squads became conference opponents and split their first season series in 2023-24.

In their first matchup this season which opened NEC action, the Sharks came away with a 78-62 victory at the Barclays Center on Friday, Jan. 3. Redshirt junior guard Malachi Davis and senior forward Jamal Fuller combined for 44 points in the victory while senior forward Ocypher Owens (Orlando, Fla./Orlando Christian Prep/Indian River State) and graduate guard Robby Carmody (Mars, Pa./Mars Area/Notre Dame/Mercer) led the attack for Le Moyne, dropping 19 and 16 points, respectively.

Dolphins' Season:
Le Moyne's squad is 9-19 overall and 4-9 in NEC action this season, placing them in a tie with Chicago State at the bottom of the conference rankings.

After kicking off conference play with a 2-3 record from Jan. 3-Jan. 20, the Dolphins struggled through a five game losing streak that included the entirety of their four-game road trip from Jan. 30-Feb. 8. The team finally got back in the win column and took back-to-back victories as they kicked off their four-game homestand against Wagner with a 72-68 victory in overtime, and Chicago State, 80-75, on Thursday and Saturday, Feb. 13 and 15.

Most recently, the Dolphins fell to Saint Francis, 81-76, in overtime at home this past Thursday, Feb. 20.

Sophomore guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) led the way against the Red Flash, recording 30 points while connecting on 11 shots from the field including five from beyond the arc. He added four rebounds and four assists in his 43 minutes on the court. Dancler is second in the NEC in scoring (19.4 points), first in three-point percentage (.413) and minutes (36.8), second in assists (4.6), and sixth in field goal percentage (.470) through 13 conference games played this season.

The only other double-digit scorer for Le Moyne in the loss to SFU was redshirt freshman guard Deng Garang (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) who contributed 20 points on 8-12 shooting from the field with a 50% three-point rate in 39 minutes, all career highs. Garang is averaging 7.2 points with a .553 field goal percentage through four starts and 10 appearances for the 'Phins.

Carmody added nine points on 4-6 shooting, one rebounds, two assists, and one steal in the team's most recent loss. He is second on Le Moyne's roster with 12.1 points per game this season and has a free-throw percentage of 80% through 90 attempts from the line in 23 games played.

Le Moyne's final two starters, redshirt junior forward Dwayne Koroma (Berlin, Germany/Bishop Walsh (Md.)/Iona/Salt Lake C.C./UT Arlington) and redshirt sophomore forward Nate Fouts (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles/Kimball Union Academy), combined for 11 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and four steals in the matchup. Koroma leads the NEC in rebounds per game with 8.1 and sits sixth in steals with 1.6 per game while Fouts is averaging 8.2 points and is second on the squad with 11 blocks so far in 2024-25.

The Dolphins lead the NEC with 73.9 points per game and are second with a .466 team field goal percentage through 13 conference games played.

A Look at the Sharks:
LIU is currently in second place in the NEC, only behind Central Connecticut State, with a 9-4 conference record after going 4-11 in their non-conference slate to begin the season.

After opening conference play with a win against Le Moyne on Jan. 3, the Sharks earned five straight victories over Chicago State, Stonehill, CCSU, SFU, and Mercyhurst before finally falling to the Red Flash on Jan. 24. The loss marked their first of four straight amid a streak that lasted until Feb. 6.

Since ending their losing streak, LIU has gone 3-0 with a road win against Wagner and two close home victories over Stonehill and FDU in recent weeks. Their most recent win over FDU ended 62-58 as they outscored the Knights, 39-33, in the second half on Saturday, Feb. 15.

Malachi Davis led the Sharks with 21 points on 9-19 shooting against FDU, while adding three rebounds, four assists, and three steals. In 13 NEC games this season, Davis is ranked just behind Dancler with 17.8 points per game, and is 10th with a .441 field goal percentage.

Fuller followed with 19 points on 3-5 shooting from three while going 4-4 from the free-throw line. He tallied five rebounds, one assist, a team-high two blocks, and two steals, as well. He is ranked 11th in the NEC with 14.2 points, second with a .500 field goal percentage, and seventh with 6.7 rebounds per game in 13 matchups.

Senior guard Terell Strickland got the start and contributed nine points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 34 minutes in the victory. Strickland is averaging 9.0 points per game and leads the Sharks with 100 assists while starting in 22 of 28 team games this season.

LIU's final two starters, freshman forward Shadrak Lasu and senior guard Brent Davis, combined for 11 points, 14 rebounds, one block, and five steals against FDU. Lasu is ranked fourth in rebounding (7.5) and second in blocks (1.3) in the NEC this season, while Davis has played to 7.6 points per game with 42 steals in 19 appearances.

LIU is second in the NEC with both a +3.8 point differential and +4.2 rebounding margin this season and lead the conference with 8.31 steals per game.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will travel to NEC front-runner Central Connecticut State for a mid-week matchup on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:00 p.m.

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