November 19, 2008
MBB: DOLPHINS SNAP NINE-GAME SKID AGAINST SAINT ROSE WITH 67-57
NE-10 WIN
Syracuse, N.Y. - Junior Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) and sophomore Kevin Roth (Lake View, N.Y./St. Francis) posted double-doubles and the Le Moyne College men's basketball team opened its Northeast-10 Conference schedule with a 67-57 win over The College of Saint Rose at Ted Grant Court. The Dolphins snapped a nine-game skid against the Golden Knights that dated back to 2004.
Le Moyne trailed only once the entire game thanks to a balanced attack on the offensive end. Freshmen James Cormier (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull/Proctor Academy) and Christopher Johnson (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) sparked the Dolphins in the first half with hot shooting from beyond the arc. Cormier scored nine first-half points and gave Le Moyne an eight-point advantage at the 2:40 mark with his third three-pointer.
Johnson poured in six first-half points with two jumpers from long range. Roth scored seven of his 14 points and pulled down seven of his 13 rebounds in first-half action. But the Golden Knights trimmed the Dolphins' lead to two by the halftime break behind a 19-point combined effort from Jermaine Clark and Malcolm Williams.
In the second half, consistent play from Roth plus an explosion from junior Damani Corbin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglas) and Ekperigin pushed Le Moyne a 15-point advantage. Corbin scored 10 points, handed out five assists and pulled down five rebounds in second-half action. He finished with 12 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.
Ekperigin, Le Moyne's preseason honorable mention All-American, scored nine of his points and collected eight of his rebounds in the second half. Like Corbin, he packed the stat sheet behind 13 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three assists. Saint Rose chipped away at Le Moyne's lead and pulled within three, 50-47, at the 9:08 mark of the second half. But the Dolphins rode a 13-2 run, highlighted by an Ekperigin dunk, over the next three minutes to pull away.
Cormier added two more three-pointers in the second half to finish with a team-best 15 points. He collected four of Le Moyne's 12 steals in the game. Junior Kevin Hassett (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Mountain/Iona College) chipped in with seven points, five rebounds and a pair of steals for the game.
The Golden Knights (0-2, NE-10 0-1) saw three players reach double-figures in scoring, led by Williams' game-high 16 points. Clark finished with 14 and Brian Ledbetter came off the bench to score 11.
Le Moyne (1-1, NE-10 1-0) returns to action Saturday when it hosts Northeast-10 Conference opponent New Haven at 3 p.m. The game follows 1 p.m. women's basketball action.
-agate-
Le
Moyne 67, Saint Rose 57
Saint Rose (0-2, NE-10
0-1)
28
29
-
57
Le Moyne (1-1, NE-10
1-0)
30
37
- 67
