MOUNT ST. MARY'S (9-10, 8-7 NEC) at SAINT FRANCIS U (6-15, 5-12 NEC)
Thursday, February 25, 2021, 7 pm
Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Arena

WATCH:  NEC Front Row | LIVESTATS | GAME NOTES

Mount St. Mary's heads to Saint Francis U on Thursday night.  The Mount is in the hunt for one of four Northeast Conference Tournament spots. 

Mount Update:  Mount St. Mary's rallied from a 10-point halftime to earn a 74-61 win at Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday to earn a split in the two-game series..  Mezie Offurum paced the Mount with a career-high 22 points while adding 13 rebounds in the win over FDU for his second career double-double.  Damian Chong Qui added a double-double of his own with 14 points and a career-high 11 boards.  The Mount trailed 32-22 at the half, and 40-31 early in the second half before rallying, using a 32-to-9 run over the next 12:19 to take control of the game.  The Mount scored a season-high 52 points in the second half, shooting 64.0 percent (16-of-25) from the field.  In the opening game of the series, the Mount fell 76-71 in overtime to the Knights.  Chong Qui hit a three-pointer with 4.9 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, but the Knights outscored the Mount, 7-2, in overtime to secure the win.  Deandre Thomas led the Mount with 15 points in the game.

Saint Francis U Update:  Saint Francis U dropped a pair of games at Northeast Conference leader Wagner over the weekend to fall to 6-15 overall and 5-12 in the NEC.      Ramiir Dixon-Conover leads Saint Francis, averaging 15.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.  Myles Thompson chips in 10.2 pints and 5.4 rebounds as well.  Saint Francis is averaging 69.0 points per game this season, shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from three-point range.            The Red Flash are 4-4 at home on the year, including wins over Bryant, Fairleigh Dickinson, Central Connecticut and St. Francis Brooklyn.
 
The All-Time Series:  Mount St. Mary's defeated Saint Francis, 75-57, at Knott Arena on December 8 in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams to take a 50-34 lead in the all-time series.  The win snapped the Mount's four-game losing streak to the Red Flash.  However, the Mount owns a 25-7 record against SFU over the past 32 meetings in the all-time series.
 
NEC Standings:  Mount St. Mary's enters Thursday's contest 8-7 in league play and a half-game out of the fourth and final spot in the upcoming Northeast Conference Tournament.  Wagner is in first place with a 10-4 league mark, followed by Bryant (8-4), Sacred Heart (8-6), Merrimack (8-6) and LIU (9-7).  Merrimack is still in the reclassifying stage of their move to NCAA Division I and is not eligible for the NEC Tournament.
 
Opoku Finding Rhythm on Offensive End:  Nana Opoku had 16 points in the Mount's 74-61 win at Fairleigh Dickinson to post his sixth straight game in double figures in scoring.  Opoku is averaging 13.0 points over his past six games, shooting 52.9 percent (48-for-87) over that stretch.  He has reached double figures in scoring in 11 of the Mount's 19 games this year.
 
Big Second Half at FDU:  The Mountaineers scored 52 points in the second half of the 74-61 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday.  It was the highest scoring half of the season for the Mountaineers, and just the second time this year the team has scored 40 or more in a half.  The Mount shot 64.0 percent (16-of-25) in the half from the field to erase a 10-point halftime deficit.  The Mount's previous high for points in a half was 45 in the first half of the 76-64 win over Sacred Heart.
 
Up Next:  The Mount closes out the regular season with a two-game series at Bryant on March 2-3.  Tip-off both days is set for 4:00 p.m.