Madison, NJ (February 25, 2020) - The FDU men's basketball team will head to Stevens on Wednesday evening for an 8 pm tip-off against the top-seeded Ducks in the semifinals of the 2020 Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Tournament. Following a 94-78 victory over Wilkes on Saturday to close the regular season, the Devils appearance is it's first since 2013-14.
"We've come so far since October 15th and we're playing our best basketball of the season heading into the postseason, which is really exciting. The vibe within the campus community and with our alumni is awesome and I know our guys can't wait to put their uniforms on and tip it up Wednesday night." - Head Coach Jeff Slanovec
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
⏰ - Wednesday, February 26 @ 8 PM
📍- Canavan Arena, Stevens Institute of Technology - Hoboken N.J.
🚌 - Devils' Fan Bus leaving the Ferguson Recreation Center at 6 PM: Email FDU-Florham Sports Information Director Andrew Romanella (Aromanella@fdu.edu) by 10 AM Wednesday to RSVP.
📺 - WATCH | LIVE STATS | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER
AROUND THE MAC FREEDOM
In the other MAC Freedom Tournament matchup on Wednesday, the #2 seed Eastern University will host the #3 seed DeSales University at 7 PM. The winner of the game will face the winner of FDU/Stevens on Saturday, February 29, in the MAC Freedom Championship Game.
SCOUTING REPORT
The Stevens Ducks finished the 2019-20 regular season with a 21-4 overall record and a 12-2 record in MAC Freedom play. Stevens' impressive season is good enough to earn them the top seed in the MAC Freedom Tournament. Stevens sits at third in the nation in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage at 40.3%. Defense has been a staple of the Ducks success this season. The Ducks defense has allowed 65.5 Points per Game which ranks them best in the MAC Freedom. Defensively, the Ducks rank first among conference opponents in Defensive Three-Point Field Goal Percentage. Stevens also holds the Largest Margin of Victory, at 8.9. The Ducks currently stand as the #1 ranked team in the Atlantic Region.
RISE AND FIRE
Undersized in just about every game, the Devils used that to their advantage on the offensive side of the ball, rewriting the record books and ranking nationally in several categories. Against Wilkes on Saturday, FDU broke its previous set record (20 three-pointers vs. Hunter, on December 19, 2019) in single-game three-pointers, with 22. Against Wilkes, the Devils also posted its new single-season high in points scored, with 94. The Devils totaled 300 three-pointers this year, a program record for a single-season, which ranks them atop the MAC Freedom. The 12.0 made per game ranks 9th nationally among over 400 Division III teams. Additionally, the Devils rank 29th nationally in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage at 38.5%. Selfless basketball was a staple for the Devils this season, as they finished the year ranked 31st nationally with an Assist to Turnover Ratio of 1.37 and 11th nationally in Fewest Turnovers Per Game at 10.4. The Devils led the MAC Freedom in both of those categories. The 1,820 points scored by the Devils in the season is the highest total since the 2013-14 season.
ANDY FLEURANTIN
In his second season in Devils' blue and red, senior Andy Fleurantin has been one of the team's top contributors. Most recently, Fluerantin was named the MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week for a week, which included him recording eight steals, six deflections, two blocks, and nine rebounds, as the Devils went 1-1. He ended the season at the #5 spot among conference players in points-per-game, with 18.5. The senior finished the season ranked second in the MAC Freedom in Made Three-Pointers, with 68; only trailing teammate Oliver Ortman. Fleurantin has also taken his place nationally, as the 13th ranked player in Field Goal Percentage, and 85th in Three-Pointers per Game.
OLIVER ORTMAN
Junior Oliver Ortman finished the regular season as the second-leading scorer among all MAC Freedom players, with 19.0 points-per-game. Ortman's scoring average puts him at 93rd in the country. The junior's solid season is good enough to rank him as the Devils All-Time Single-Season leader in Three-Point Field Goals Made, with 75. Ortman also ranks 49th nationally in the category, and first in the MAC Freedom. Ortman has also played at least 40 minutes in three games this season and ranks 47th in NCAA Division III hoops in Minutes Per Game, with 35.2.
KENNY LaROCCA
The Senior guard is coming off of a career-high 31-point performance in FDU's win victory on Saturday over Wilkes. LaRocca's 13.2 Points per Game ranks him at the #10 spot in the MAC Freedom. The 59 Three-Pointers ranks him sixth in the conference. The senior also ranks first nationally in Assist to Turnover Ratio, at 5.1. LaRocca averages 3.4 Assists per Game, which is fourth-best in the MAC Freedom.
FROM THE COACH
"Andy, Kenny and Oli have been tremendous leaders in this program and that started after last season. They've transformed their bodies in the weight room and their games from a skill development standpoint. They're great examples to the younger and newer guys in the program about what 12 months of commitment, dedication and buy in can get them."
SUPPORTING CAST
The Devils have several newcomers that have been key ingredients to their success this season. Freshman Andrew Schulz saw action in all 25 games for the Devils, and made 17 starts. For the season, Schulz ranked third among the Devils in assists. Freshman Joseph Nigro started in all but one of the games he played in this season for the Devils. He was key to the Devils success on defense, as he finished fifth on the team in steals. Freshman Derrick Whitaker played in all 25 games for the Devils. The freshman ranked sixth on the team in Total Minutes Played. Junior Cameron Saintil played in 20 contests for FDU, and ranks sixth on the team in Field Goals Made. In 12 games played, Devon Murray averaged 6.3 Points Per Game.
