Mount St. Mary's Men's Basketball Begins Four-Game Road Trip at LIU on Thursday

MOUNT ST. MARY'S (4-8, 0-2 NEC) at LIU (3-9, 0-2 NEC)
Thursday, January 6, 2022 | 7:00 p.m.
Steinberg Wellness Center | Brooklyn, N.Y.

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GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS

MOUNT STORY LINES

Mount St. Mary's returns to the court for the first time since a 74-60 win over Morgan State on December 18 at Knott Arena. The Mount's past three games have been cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols. The Mount enters the game at LIU with a 4-8 overall record and an 0-2 mark in Northeast Conference play after having to take forfeit losses for each of the first two NEC contests.
The Mount led wire-to-wire in the win over Morgan State in their last game. Jalen Benjamin led the Mount with 17 points and eight assists while Mezie Offurum added 14 points, Jaylin Gibson 13 and Nana Opoku 11 in the win. The Mount used an 19-to-4 second-half run to take control of the game after Morgan State had cut the deficit to one point.
Freshman Jaylin Gibson scored 13 points off the bench in the Mount's 74-60 win over Morgan State to earn Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week honors. He is the 27th Mount player all-time to earn an NEC Rookie of Week award.
The Mount swept the season series with LIU last year to take a 34-33 lead in the all-time series. Head coach Dan Engelstad has a 5-1 career record against the Sharks.
Point guard Jalen Benjamin has been distributing the basketball well for the Mountaineers this season. Benjamin leads the Northeast Conference with 4.42 assists per game. He matched his career high when he dished out eight assists in the win over Morgan State and is averaging 6.7 assists over his past three games.
Mezie Offurum has been a key contributor of late for the Mountaineers, averaging 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds over the past three games. Offurum has scored in double figures in three consecutive games, and in six of the Mount's past eight games.
Up next, the Mount visits St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, January 8, for a 4:00 p.m. Northeast Conference matchup.

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Players Mentioned

#22 Nana Opoku: F; 6' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore

#13 Mezie Offurum: F; 6' 8"; Senior

#3 Jaylin Gibson: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

#5 Jalen Benjamin: G; 5' 10"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#22 Nana Opoku
: 6' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore
: F

#13 Mezie Offurum
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F

#3 Jaylin Gibson
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

#5 Jalen Benjamin
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G