SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The fifth-seeded FDU men's basketball team fell to fourth-seeded Le Moyne 82-61 in the NEC Championship Quarterfinal on Wednesday on Ted Moore Court.
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With the victory, the Dolphins advance to the NEC Semifinals to face second-seeded Merrimack on Saturday. The Knights close out the 2023-24 campaign with a 15-17 mark.
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The Knights fell behind 13-3 early before a three-pointer from First Team All-NEC selection Ansley Almonor and a step-back from Heru Bligen trimmed the deficit to five entering the under-16 electronic media timeout. The Dolphins stopped the run with two buckets and held FDU scoreless for nearly three minutes as Terrence Brown halted the spurt with a pair of free throws.
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After the Dolphins brought the lead back to nine, Sean Moore found Jo'el Emmanuel for an alley-oop layup. Emmanuel drew the contact on the play and hit the free throw to shrink the margin to six at 20-14. The Knights closed to three with 9:02 left, but the hosts quickly responded with the next nine markers to stretch the lead back to double figures.
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Sean Moore stopped the spurt with a step-back jumper after the Dolphins extended the gap to 15. The Burgundy and Blue tallied seven consecutive markers, including a triple from Moore, to back up to eight at 34-26. FDU entered the break down eight as Moore and Emmanuel converted the final four points of the period.
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The two sides went back-and-forth early in the second stanza before a 6-0 rally from Le Moyne turned a six-point advantage into a 12-point one, forcing the Knights into a timeout. The run continued after the break, with the Dolphins taking a 17-point lead before Joe Munden Jr. hit a driving layup to end the near three-minute drought.
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The Knights continued to fight back, using five consecutive markers to get within 12 at 57-45. Moore hit from deep with 8:29 left to make it 68-52 Le Moyne entering the under-eight minute electronic media timeout. The Dolphins continued to make it difficult for the Knights to chip away at the lead, holding the guests to just five points over the final 4:52.
Moore led the Knights with 16 points and eight rebounds, with Munden Jr. adding 14. Luke Sunderland paced the Dolphins with 22 points, leading three Dolphins in double figures. Le Moyne outscored FDU 28-22 in the paint, as the Dolphins scored 20 points off turnovers.
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First Half
- Moore was the catalyst in the first half, tallying 13 points while grabbing a team-high five rebounds.
- Le Moyne was 7-of-19 from beyond the arc in the first half, while FDU was 3-of-10.Â
Second Half
- The Dolphins shot a blistering 51.9 percent (14-of-27) over the final 20 minutes while limiting FDU to just eight second-half field goals.
- FDU was 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the second half and shot 16-of-20 from the line for the game. Tonight's contest marked the fifth time the Burgundy and Blue have shot 80 percent or better from the line.
- Munden Jr. had 11 of his 14 first points in the second half, shooting 10-of-12 from the line.
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Notes
- Almonor's first triple of the game was the 180th of his career, moving him into fourth all-time at FDU.
- Moore tallied his 12th game with 15 or more points.
Click here for the NEC tournament Championship Headquarters.
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Connect with FDU men's basketball on X and Instagram, @FDUKnightsMBB.
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Bogota Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor for the 2023-24 FDU men's basketball season.
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