Le Moyne College Athletics

MEN'S BASKETBALL WRAPS UP ROAD SWING ON SATURDAY AT MERCYHURST

2/7/2025 1:09:00 PM

By: Dylan Dariano, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Le Moyne (7-17, 2-7) vs. Mercyhurst (12-14, 6-5) - NEC
Info: Saturday, Feb. 8 | 3:00 p.m. | Erie, Pa. | Owen McCormick Court at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center
Video: NEC Front Row (http://necfrontrow.com/game/12780)
Radio: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://hurstathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

Erie, Pa. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team will get right back to action as they conclude a four-game road trip in its second matchup against Mercyhurst this season on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 3:00 p.m..

Series History:
Le Moyne currently holds a 18-2 record all-time against the Lakers, as they met twice per year as members of the Mideast Conference from 1985-86 to 1990-91. The two programs faced off five times between '91 and 2021 before becoming conference foes once more prior to the 2024-25 season.

In the first NEC meeting between the squads last month on Jan. 12, the Dolphins came away with their first conference victory of the season, 79-63, at home on Ted Grant Court. Dwayne Koroma led the charge with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win while AJ Dancler added 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists for Le Moyne, as well.

Dolphins' Season:
Le Moyne sits with a 7-17 record overall while having gone 2-7 in conference play thus far this season. The squad has dropped their past four matchups, with their most recent victory coming against Stonehill College, 73-72, at home on Monday, Jan. 20.

The Dolphins fell to Saint Francis, 86-78, on the road in their last game on Thursday night, after fighting back from a 15-point deficit at halftime.

Dancler led the 'Phins with 22 points and seven rebounds against the Red Flash, and added one rebound and one steal in his 36 minutes on the floor. He is third in the NEC with 17.1 points, first with 2.4 made three-pointers, and second with 5.0 assists through nine conference games played.

Robby Carmody followed Dancler with 21 points, including nine from the free-throw line in the loss. Carmody also tallied three rebounds and a pair of steals for Le Moyne. He is averaging 12.2 points, second most on the Dolphins, and leads with a .824 free-throw percentage this season.

Koroma rounded out the 'Phins double-digit scorers against SFU, as he dropped 15 points on 6-7 shooting along with a team-leading nine rebounds, two assists, and three steals. He sits second in the NEC with 8.1 rebounds and fifth with 1.8 steals per game through eight conference appearances.
Deng Garang registered a career-high six points on 2-3 shooting from the field, two rebounds, one block and three steals in 26 minutes off the bench. Garang is averaging 3.3 points through six appearances this season.

Le Moyne currently ranks last in the NEC in scoring margin (-7.4) as they drop more points (72.8) but also allow more points (80.2) than any team in the conference.

A Look at the Lakers:
Mercyhurst has played to a 12-14 record overall and have gone 6-5 since conference play began in early January. After wrapping up their non-conference schedule on a three-game losing streak in late December, the Lakers went 2-4 to start the NEC slate before winning four-straight from Friday, Jan. 24 to Saturday, Feb. 1 against Wagner, LIU, Saint Francis, and FDU.

The Lakers dropped their most recent meeting against Chicago State, 85-78, on the road on Thursday, Feb. 6 despite five players registering double-digits in the game.

Senior forward Aidan Reichert led Mercyhurst with 20 points against CSU, shooting 9-16 from the field while adding seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Reichert is currently sixth in the NEC with 16.2 points per game, 10th with 5.9 rebounds, and fourth with a .492 field goal percentage this season.

Graduate forward Jeff Planutis tallied 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 37 minutes in the loss. He currently ranks seventh in the conference in points per game (15.3) and leads all players with 36.3 minutes per game.

Senior guard Bernie Blunt III dropped 13 points with one rebound, two assists, and a team-high three steals for the Lakers. Blunt is third on the squad with 12.1 points, and leads with both a .918 free-throw percentage and 41 steals through 22 games played.

In 26 minutes off the bench, Freshman forward Mykolas Ivanauskas added another 13 points on 5-5 shooting from the field and led the squad with 12 rebounds. He is averaging 4.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and leads the team with 16 blocks in 24 appearances off the bench this season.

Graduate guard Shemar Rathan-Mayes finished out the scorers in double-digits, adding 12 points with the help of five made free-throws, two rebounds, a team-high six assists, and one steal. He leads the NEC with 5.1 assists per conference game and is averaging 7.3 points while starting 25 team games.

Mercyhurst ranks first with a team .815 free-throw percentage, second with a .353 field goal rate, but sits last in rebounds, bringing in just 27.1 boards per game.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will return home to face off against Wagner College (12-11, 4-6) for the second time in two weeks on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7:00 p.m.

Print Friendly Version