Looking To Snap Skid, Lions MBB Hosting Keiser University

AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (3-4, 1-1) vs. Keiser University Seahawks (3-1, 2-1)
When: Saturday, November 20, 2021
Where: Florida Memorial, Miami Gardens, Fla. | FMU Wellness Center
Tip-off: 4 p.m.* (30 minutes following women's game)
Last Meeting: Jan. 21, 2021, Loss 66-77
Live Stream: Link
Live Stats: Link
Tickets: General Admission $5 (Purchase)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Florida Memorial University will be out to snap multiple losing streaks this weekend when it hosts Keiser University Saturday afternoon in the FMU Wellness Center.

The game, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. start, will actually tip-off 30 minutes following the conclusion of the preceding women's game between the programs – as Saturday marks the first home conference doubleheader for the Lions this season. Tickets for the game are available for purchase online at www.FMUAthletics.com/Tickets. General admission tickets start at $5 dollars while FMU students can enter for free by showing their valid school ID.

The Lions will be looking to get back on the winning side of things since dropping its past two games while also ending the eight-game skid it has against Keiser since the 2018 season.

FMU (3-4, 1-1 The Sun Conference) failed to avoid losing consecutive regular season games for the first time this season after it went cold in the second half against Warner University this past Thursday and fell 86-57. No Lions player recorded a double-digit point total against the Royals, as the team was led by Rodney Guillory's 9 points off the bench.

Florida Memorial's offense – when operating at what has been its most effect rate up to this point in the season – has been centered around the production of 6-foot-9 forward Brent Holcombe and guard Corey Benton. Prior to Thursday's game, Holcombe was on a streak of four consecutive games scoring 20 points or more. Benton, a former NAIA All-American performer at his previous school, had also been scoring the ball at a high clip, but has struggled over the past two games – recording just 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting through the two contests.

After going up against NCAA Division-II foe Lynn University (Fla.) this past Monday, followed by the game against Warner – which received votes in the latest NAIA National Basketball Poll and was the preseason No. 1 team in the Sun Conference – this past Thursday, the Lions get defending Sun Conference Tournament champion Keiser Saturday.

KU (3-1, 2-1) has looked like a balanced offensive unit so far this season. Three different Seahawks players average 10 points or more, led by Christian Miller-Caldwell's 13.8 points-per-game. Miller-Caldwell's production has been off the bench all season while Keiser's starters have averaged just 43 points per game as a unit.

Florida Memorial head coach Ansar Al-Ameen will need to make sure his team pays attention to details on the defensive end of the court, as almost every player that KU will throw out on the court will be some sort of a threat to score.

Holcombe's and Benton's production will need to get back to its baseline levels for the Lions to be successful, but the factor that could sway things in FMU's favor this weekend is the contributions from 7-foot center Mubashar Ali. Ali returned to Florida Memorial's active roster earlier this week and made his season debut this past Thursday at Warner. Ali was relatively quiet against the Royals – 3 points and 7 rebounds in 11 minutes – but needs to return to the form that earned him First Team All-Sin Conference honors in each of the past two seasons if the Lions hope to upend Keiser.

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