Game #17: Le Moyne (7-9, 2-1 NEC) vs. Central Connecticut State (8-6, 2-1 NEC) 
Info: Saturday, Jan. 10 | 1:00 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
Central Connecticut State Links: Schedule | Roster | Stats | News

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team remains home to take on the two-time defending NEC regular season champion, Central Connecticut State University.

LAST TIME OUT
The Dolphins defeated the University of New Haven on Thursday, 73-47, in their first home game in 47 days, ending a span of 47 days away from home, the fifth-longest stretch in Division I this year. Redshirt sophomore guard Deng Garang recorded 10 of his game-high 18 points in the first half to lead the Dolphins. Junior guard Tennessee Rainwater (Davenport, Wash./Davenport/Utah Tech) tied his season high with 14 points, including eight in the first half, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists. Graduate student forward Shilo Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central/Vincennes/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The 47 points allowed are the fewest allowed by the Dolphins to a Division I opponent in Le Moyne's three seasons at the Division I level, while the 26-point margin of victory is the most since an 88-57 win at Stonehill on February 8, 2024.

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 Blue Devils are meeting on the hardwood for the 14th time. Le Moyne holds a 7-6 advantage in the series, which started during the 1949-50 season. The Blue Devils swept the season series last year, while also downing the Dolphins in the first round of the NEC Tournament.

COMMON OPPONENTS
The Dolphins and Blue Devils played four common opponents during non-conference action, Boston College, UMass, Binghamton and Fairfield. The Dolphins defeated Binghamton, 78-63, on December 6 and fell to UMass, 94-80, on November 13, Fairfield, 97-83, on November 22 and Boston College on December 28, 72-64, while Central Connecticut State defeated Boston College, 60-59, on November 11 and Binghamton, 84-67, on December 13 and fell at UMass, 84-77, on November 16 and Fairfield, 84-70, on December 18.

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 9, Le Moyne is 279th in the latest NCAA NET rankings, third among NEC members, while Central Connecticut State is ranked 243rd, second among NEC members.

DOLPHINS IN THE NEC STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Shilo Jackson leads the NEC in field goal percentage (.635) (17th nationally, but Le Moyne student-athletes don't qualify for national rankings during the institution's transition period), rebounding (8.6) (51st nationally), offensive rebounding (3.19) (53rd nationally), made free throws (59) and double-doubles (7) (tied for 17th nationally). He is third in blocks (1.9) (tied for 44th nationally) and defensive rebounding (5.38) (tied for 98th nationally), sixth in scoring (14.6), ninth in free throw percentage (.711) and 20th in assists (2.2).Trent Mosquera is second in the NEC with a 39.8 three-point percentage (67th nationally) and is third in three-pointers per game (2.69) (tied for 88th nationally), fifth in steals (1.7), sixth in defensive rebounding (4.9), 10th in minutes (31.0), 10th in scoring (13.4), 12th in rebounding (5.6), 14th in blocks (0.7) and 21st in assists (2.1). Deng Garang is 12th in minutes (30.4) and blocks (0.75), 13th in three-pointers per game (1.6), 14th in scoring (12.4) and 15th in steals (1.1. Jakai Sanders is second in the conference in made free throws (57) and assists per game (4.4), third in assist/turnover ratio (1.8), seventh in free throw percentage (.760), 16th in minutes (30.0) and 24th in scoring (10.0).

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 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE
The Blue Devils are led by fifth-year head coach Patrick Sellers, who has posted a 71-70 record during his time in New Britain. He has guided the Blue Devils to the last two NEC regular season titles and was named the NEC Coach of the Year each season.

The Blue Devils returned six players, only one of whom averaged over four points per game (Darin Smith Jr.), from its 2024-25 team that went 25-7 overall, including 14-2 in NEC play, while adding four freshmen and six transfers.

The Blue Devils went 6-5 during non-conference play, which included wins at Power 4 opponents, Boston College and Rutgers, and has opened NEC play 2-1. In a 76-69 win over Stonehill on Thursday, Smith Jr. tallied a game-high 22 points. Jay Rodgers added 21 points and six assists.

Smith Jr. leads three Blue Devils who average in double digits at an NEC-best 20.0 points per game, while grabbing 4.8 rebounds per game. Rodgers records 11.6 points and 7.5 assists and Max Frazier tallies 11.5 points and 6.7 rebounds.

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 heads to the Windy City next Saturday to take on Chicago State University at 2:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. CT.