Greg Wall

MEN'S BASKETBALL OPENS FINAL WEEK OF REGULAR SEASON ON THURSDAY AT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE

2/27/2025 7:02:00 AM

By: Dylan Dariano, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Le Moyne (9-20, 4-10) vs. Central Connecticut State (21-6, 12-2) - NEC
Info: Thursday, Feb. 27 | 7:00 p.m. | New Britain, Conn. | Detrick Gymnasium
Video: NEC Front Row (http://necfrontrow.com/game/12665)
Radio: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://www.ccsubluedevils.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/boxscores/20250227_ebw7.xml

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team will take on 2024-25 Northeast Conference front-runner Central Connecticut State on the road in their second matchup of the season on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:00 p.m..

Series History:
Le Moyne holds a 7-4 advantage in their series history against CCSU 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.

Earlier this year on Friday, Jan. 24, CCSU earned a 90-73 victory over Le Moyne as five Blue Devils scored in double-digits. Sophomore guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) led the way for the Dolphins, scoring 18 points and adding seven assists in 40 minutes in the loss.

Dolphins' Season:
Le Moyne sits 9-20 overall and are tied with Chicago State at the bottom of the NEC with a 4-10 record in conference play this season.

After going 5-10 through their non-conference schedule to begin the season, the Dolphins kicked off NEC action with back-to-back losses against LIU and FDU from Jan. 3-10. The squad went 2-1 in their next three, defeating Mercyhurst and Stonehill at home while falling to Chicago State on the road in mid-to-late January.

The Dolphins endured a five-game losing streak that lasted from Jan. 24-Feb. 8 before winning back-to-back conference games for the first time against Wagner and Chicago Sate, at home, Feb. 13 and 15.

Most recently, Le Moyne fell in two-straight matchups at home last week at the hands of Saint Francis, 81-76, in overtime on Thursday, Feb. 20 and LIU, 76-61, on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Dancler marked the lone Dolphin to score in double-digits against LIU on Saturday, scoring 17 points while going 12-12 from the free-throw line. He added four rebounds, four assists, one block, and two steals in 37 minutes on the court. Dancler is first in the NEC in three-point percentage (.402) and minutes (36.8) and second in scoring (19.2) and assists (4.6) per game through 14 conference games this season.

Senior forward Ocypher Owens (Orlando, Fla./Orlando Christian Prep/Indian River State) recorded nine points for Le Moyne in the loss, going 3-4 from both the field and the charity stripe. Owens tallied four rebounds, and one steal in 24 minutes off the bench in the matchup. He is sixth in the NEC in blocks per game (1.0) in conference play and has averaged 9.5 points in 28.0 minutes overall in 19 appearances in 2024-25.

Redshirt junior forward Dwayne Koroma (Berlin, Germany/Bishop Walsh (Md.)/Iona/Salt Lake C.C./UT Arlington) registered eight points against the Sharks, going 3-4 shooting while adding a team-leading six rebounds with one assist and one steal. Koroma leads the conference with 7.9 rebounds per game and has added 11.3 points with a .713 field-goal percentage in 28 games played.

In 36 minutes in their most recent game, redshirt freshman guard Deng Garang (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) put up another eight points with four rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 36 minutes off the bench. Garang has averaged 7.3 points with a .560 field-goal percentage and .500 rate from beyond the arc in 11 games.

Le Moyne is first in the conference in points per game (73.0), third in field-goal percentage (.465) and three-point percentage (.345), and fourth in assists (13.64) this season.

A Look at the Blue Devils:
Central Connecticut State is currently 21-6 overall and sits atop the NEC with a 12-2 record against conference opponents this season. The squad opened conference play with a 9-4 record before taking down Saint Francis and Mercyhurst on the road on opening weekend in early January in back-to-back games.

The Blue Devils then took their only two conference losses of the season thus far in consecutive matchups at home against Wagner and LIU the following week, Jan. 10-12. Since then, CCSU has gone 10-0 with their most recent victory coming over Stonehill, 67-41, at home on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Senior guard Jordan Jones led the attack against the Skyhawks with 23 points, including 15 from beyond the arc. Jones added three rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 26 minutes for the Blue Devils. Jones is fourth in the NEC in scoring (16.7), first in field goal percentage (.548), and seventh in assists (3.5) per game through 14 conference appearances this season.

Junior guard Devin Haid was the only other double-digit scorer for CCSU, putting up 10 points while shooting 5-12 from the field and adding seven rebounds, two assists, and a team-high four steals in the matchup. Haid is 10th in the conference in scoring (14.4), second in free-throw rate (.920), fourth in field-goal percentage (.470), eighth in rebounding (6.1), and ninth in steals (1.5) this season.

Central Connecticut leads the conference with a +12.2 scoring margin and .475 team field-goal percentage while also sitting atop the ranks in team rebounds (36.7) and blocked shots (4.21) through 14 games.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will travel to North Easton, Mass. to wrap up their season against Stonehill (14-15, 6-8) on Saturday, Mar. 1 at 4:30 p.m..

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