Game #16: Le Moyne (6-9, 1-1 NEC) vs. New Haven (6-9, 1-1 NEC) 
Info: Thursday, Jan. 8 | 7:00 p.m. | Syracuse, N.Y. | Ted Grant Court
Watch: NEC Front Row
Radio: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
New Haven Links: Schedule | Roster | Stats | News

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team returns home to Ted Grant Court for the first time in 47 days on Thursday to host NEC newcomer and former NE10 rival University of New Haven. The 47-day span is the fifth-longest in the country this season.

LAST TIME OUT
The Dolphins wrapped up their nine-game stretch of games away from home with a 74-60 setback at Mercyhurst University on Sunday. Graduate student forward Shilo Jackson led the Dolphins offensively in the setback with 17 points, while adding six rebounds (five offensive). Redshirt junior guard Trent Mosquera recorded eight of his 11 points in the first half, while grabbing seven rebounds and posting three steals. Redshirt sophomore guard Deng Garang and sophomore guard Jakai Sanders each tallied 10 points. Junior guard Tennessee Rainwater grabbed a game-high and career high-tying nine 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 Chargers are meeting on the hardwood for the 45th time dating back to their respective Division II eras, with the Dolphins holding a 26-18 series advantage. Le Moyne won 18 of the 30 games played between the programs while they were members of the NE10 from 2008-23.

COMMON OPPONENTS
The Dolphins and Chargers only played one common opponent during non-conference action, Boston College. The Dolphins fell to the Eagles on December 28, 72-64, while New Haven dropped a December 6 matchup, 67-63.

JESUIT CONNECTION
The Dolphins faced three fellow Jesuit institutions this season. They fell at Xavier University on November 6, 74-69, fell at home to Fairfield University on November 22, 97-83, and lost to Boston College, 72-64, 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.

PRIME PERFORMERS
The Dolphins have had three players earn Northeast Conference weekly Prime Performer honors.
Trent Mosquera – 11/10, 12/1, 12/8                           Jakai Sanders – 11/17, 12/22
Shilo Jackson – 11/24, 12/1, 12/8, 12/30, 1/6

NET RANKINGS
Through games on January 7, Le Moyne is 303rd in the latest NCAA NET rankings, fourth among NEC members, while New Haven is ranked 318th, sixth among NEC members.

DOLPHINS IN THE NEC STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Shilo Jackson leads the NEC in field goal percentage (.628) (20th nationally, but Le Moyne student-athletes don't qualify for national rankings during the institution's transition period), rebounding (8.7) (tied for 49th nationally), offensive rebounding (3.33) (tied for 40th nationally) and double-doubles (7) (tied for 16th nationally). He is second in made free throws (54) and blocks (2.0) (tied for 33rd nationally), fourth in defensive rebounding (5.33) (tied for 99th nationally), sixth in scoring (14.9), ninth in free throw percentage (.720) and 21st in assists (2.1).Trent Mosquera leads the NEC with a 41.0 three-point percentage (tied for 52nd nationally) and is third in three-pointers per game (2.87) (tied for 59th nationally), fifth in steals (1.7), seventh in defensive rebounding (4.7), eighth in minutes (31.5), 10th in scoring (14.2), 14th in rebounding (5.4) and 20th in assists (2.1). Deng Garang is 12th in minutes (30.5) and blocks (0.75), 14th in three-pointers per game (1.5) and 15th in steals (1.1) and scoring (12.0). Jakai Sanders leads the conference in made free throws (57), is second in assists (4.5), fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8), seventh in free throw percentage (.760), 14th in minutes (30.2) and 24th in scoring (10.3).

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 of games 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 NEW HAVEN
The Chargers are led by 16th-year head coach Ted Hotaling, who has posted a 218-184 record during his time in West Haven. He has guided the Chargers to five berths in the NCAA Division II Tournament, including the Elite Eight in 2023.

New Haven returned three players, only one of whom averaged more than seven minutes a game (Najimi George), from its 2024-25 team that went 12-17 overall in its final season of Division II competition, including 7-14 in NE10 play, while adding 11 freshmen and seven transfers.

The Chargers went 5-8 during non-conference play and split its first two NEC games. In a 72-61 setback at Central Connecticut State on Sunday, Syracuse-native Andre Pasha led three Chargers in double figures with a season-high 18 points. Aidan Losiewicz tallied 17 points off the bench en route to earning NEC Rookie of the Week honors. George had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Jabri Fitzpatrick leads three Chargers who average in double digits at 12.3 points per game, while grabbing 4.8 rebounds, dishing out 2.3 assists and posting 1.87 steals. George records 10.6 points and Pasha tallies 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds. New Haven allows the second-fewest points per game in the NEC at 67.7, while the Chargers score the fewest at 65.6.

DEDICATED DUO
Le Moyne's Chris Granozio and Don Familo are in their 34th season calling men's basketball games. They are currently the third-longest tenured Division I radio broadcast duo. They trail only Wichita State's Mike Kennedy and Dave Dahl (46th) and Providence's John Rooke and Joe Hassett (37th). Baylor's John Morris and Pat Nunley (31st) and BYU's Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant (29th) round out the top five.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Le Moyne remains home to take on two-time defending NEC regular season champion Central Connecticut State University on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.