FMU Looking To Snap Losing Streak & Stay In Conference Race Saturday

AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (6-15, 6-12) at Thomas University Night Hawks (8-14, 8-8)
When: Saturday, February 13, 2021
Where: Thomas University, Thomasville, Ga. | TU Gymnasium
Tip-off: 2 p.m.
Last Meeting: Jan. 7, 2021, Loss 70-78
Live Stream: Link
Live Stats: Link

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – As the regular season wanes and losses accrue for Florida Memorial University's men's basketball team, it will be facing a "need to win" situation when it faces Thomas University Saturday afternoon.

Saturday's game, which will tip-off at 2 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. since the women's game between the programs was postponed, is actually an important one for both squads.

The Lions (6-15, 6-12 The Sun Conference) are currently clinging to the No. 7 spot in the conference standings – still inside the 8-team window of teams that will advance to the postseason tournament – but sit just 1-game ahead of the No. 8 and No. 9 teams (Southeastern University and Webber International University) with two games remaining.

For Thomas University (8-14, 8-8) – the current No. 6 seed – Saturday's game represents an opportunity for it help its case in climbing into the top four and potentially hosting an opening round game in the postseason tourney.

Florida Memorial enters Saturday's game on a three-game losing streak following its tough 71-64 loss at College of Coastal Georgia this past Thursday. In what has become a nightmarish recurring theme, the Lions had a cold shooting night from the three-point line (going just 2-of-14) and committed 24 turnovers.

Those two factors have been negative harbingers for head coach Ansar Al-Ameen's team this season.

Senior center Mubashar Ali did record his 11th double-double of the season against the Mariners on Thursday – totaling 24 points and 16 rebounds. Ali, a 2020 First-Team All-Sun Conference performer, is making a case for All-American honors this year as he is the only player in the Sun Conference averaging more than 10 points and 10 rebounds per game this year while ranking while also leading the conference in blocks per game (1.9) – which is also the 14th best mark nationally in the NAIA.

Florida Memorial also welcomed Sam Mack Jr. back to the lineup Thursday after he missed the previous five games for personal reasons. Mack's timing was a bit off in his first game back, as he finished with 9 points (on 4-of-13 shooting) in 23 minutes off the bench.

The last time the two teams met – a 78-70 win for the Night Hawks on FMU's home floor – the Lions couldn't match Thomas University's energy and had little to no answer for TU's 5-foot-8 guard Jordan Booker, who finished with 14 points, 9 steals, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.

FMU will need to play with the urgency that should come along with a team that's fighting for a spot in the postseason tournament. The Lions should once again dominate the boards with Ali along with 7-foot-2 freshman Nicodemo Majuec and 6-foot-10 graduate senior Jethro Tshisumpa, but the key will be taking care of the ball and the team's ability to knock down shots from the perimeter.

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