November 25, 2008
MBB: DOLPHINS FALL ON ROAD TO
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL, 77-68
Springfield, Mass. - Junior forward Laurence Ekperigin
(Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) scored a game-high 26
points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but the Le Moyne College men's
basketball team fell to American International, 77-68, on Tuesday
night at Butova Gymnasium.
After trading baskets to open the contest, the Yellow Jackets went
on a 20-6 run to open a 14-point lead with 12:19 remaining in the
opening half. Sesoo Ikpah opened the streak with a jumper in the
paint and capped the run with a three-pointer off a feed from
Adrian Hynes-Guery.
Le Moyne, which opened the season 2-0 in Northeast-10 Conference
action for the first time, responded with a 18-9 run of its own to
pull within five points with 2:20 remaining in the stanza.
Ekperigin scored 10 of his 12 first half points in the run, while
junior forward Kevin Hassett (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert
Mountain/Iona College) drilled a three-pointer to cut
AIC's lead to five at 31-26. The Yellow Jackets tallied the final
five points of the half to go into halftime with a 10-point
advantage.
Freshman guard James Cormier
(Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull/Proctor
Academy) hit jumper to open the second half, but AIC
rattled off the next nine points to open up a game-high 17-point
lead. The Dolphins answered back with 10 consecutive points to
narrow their deficit to seven. Sophomore forward Kevin Roth
(Lake View,
N.Y./St. Francis) scored three
points to open the streak with Ekperigin capping it with a layup
with 15:05 remaining in the game.
The two squads traded points over the remainder of the half, with
AIC holding a lead between seven and 12 points throughout. Cormier
connected on a three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining to get the
Dolphins within seven points, but Ikpah made a layup and a foul
shot to prevent the Dolphins from getting any closer.
Ekperigin, who finished three points shy of his career high,
registered his third consecutive double-digit rebounding total.
Roth joined Ekperigin in double-figures with 10 points and tied for
game-high honors with four assists. Ikpah led the Yellow Jackets
with 24 points, while Isiah Wallace scored 20 points and
Hynes-Guery added 11.
Le Moyne (2-2, NE-10 2-1) returns to action at home on Sunday, Nov.
30 against Assumption College at 3:00 p.m.
-agate-
American
International 77, Le Moyne 68
Le Moyne (2-2, NE-10
2-1)
26
42
-
68
American International (4-1, NE-10
2-1)
36
41
- 77
