Nov. 21, 2011

Game Notes vs. Fairleigh Dickinson

The Leopards close out their mini three-game homestand, hosting Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday night. Lafayette is coming off a hard-fought 76-70 loss at the hands of Wagner on Saturday while FDU notched its first win of the season on Nov. 18, topping St. Peter's 73-62.

Senior guard Jim Mower is looking to become the 38th player in Lafayette basketball history to score 1,000 career points. Mower has 981 points and has been averaging 16.5 points per game. In 2010-11, senior forward Ryan Willen scored his 1,000th career point after netting eight in the Patriot League Tournament Championship game at Bucknell.

Mower played 40 minutes against Wagner, the first time since Dec. 23, 1996 (Sam Gilbert vs. Maryland) that a player had played 40 minutes in a regulation game. Mower is averaging 35 minutes per game.

Senior forward Ryan Willen notched the fifth double-double of his career and the Leopards' fi rst of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Wagner (11/19). Willen was a perfect 11-for-11 from the stripe, his best career effort.

At 1-2, Fairleigh Dickinson is coming off its first win of the season, a 73-62 decision over St. Peter's on Nov. 18. FDU opened 2011-12 on Nov. 12 with a 72-61 setback at Providence and followed with a 72-61 loss to Lehigh on Nov. 15 in the home opener for the Knights.

Junior forward Kinu Rochford, a transfer from James Madison, is averaging a doubledouble with 16.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. He is coming off a 15-point game vs. St. Peter's when the team shot 57 percent from the fl oor. In that game, George Goode (10.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg), a graduate student, contributed a game-high 16 points and added nine boards from the forward spot.

The Knights run a three-guard set. Junior Lonnie Hayes is contributing 15.3 points and leads the team with 4.3 assists per game. Hayes has the potential for big numbers, dropping in 26 vs. Providence. Another Lonnie, Lonnie Robinson (5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg), joins Hayes in the backcourt and has started all three games. Classmate Melquan Bolding is one of four players scoring in double fi gures. Bolding has started two games, averaging 13 points and three rebounds per contest.

The Knights haven't shot well from three, converting 9-of-42 three-point tries (21 percent) but have held opponents to 30 percent. FDU is coached by Greg Vetrone (CW Post '86) who is in his third season with a 17-47 record at the school.