December 13, 2008
MBB: EKPERIGIN GOES FOR 40 AS DOLPHINS CRUISE PAST PURPLE KNIGHTS,
82-61
Syracuse, N.Y. - Junior forward Laurence Ekperigin
(Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) scored 40 points and
pulled down 15 rebounds as the Le Moyne College men's basketball
team breezed past Saint Michael's, 82-61, in Northeast-10
Conference action at Ted Grant Court. Ekperigin's 40 points were a
career-high and one point shy of the College's individual record.
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| Watch Laurence Ekperigin pour in 40 points against St. Michael's |
Le Moyne's individual game points record of 41 is shared by
Richard Kenyon '56 and Philip Harlow '73. The junior forward
knocked down 15-of-17 shots from the field and 10-of-14 free
throws. His 15 boards, including five offensive, were two off of
his career-high. His final stat line also included three blocks and
a pair of assists. Sophomore forward Kevin Roth (Lake View,
N.Y./St. Francis) was the only other Dolphin to reach
double-figures. He finished with a double-double on the strength of
12 points and 11 rebounds. Freshmen Christopher Johnson
(Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) and James Cormier
(Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull/Proctor Academy) netted eight
points and seven points, respectively. Both knocked down a pair of
three-pointers.
The Dolphins jumped out to an 11-4 lead 4:34 into the game on a
put-back layup by Ekperigin, who tallied nine of Le Moyne's opening
11 points. Le Moyne extended its lead to a stanza-best 14 as
Ekperigin converted a conventional three-point play to put his team
up 25-11 with 10:13 remaining. The Purple Knights closed their
deficit to eight points on a layup by Alex Berthiaume with 2:13
remaining, but the Dolphins responded with a 7-2 run to close out
the half. Ekperigin tallied three consecutive points, junior
forward Kevin Hassett (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Mountain/Iona
College) drilled two foul shots and Roth scored off an
offensive rebound to give the Dolphins a 37-24 lead at the
intermission.
Le Moyne pushed its lead to 20 points with a 10-3 spurt over 2:12
to open the second half. Ekperigin opened the scoring with a layup
and Roth capped the span with a pair of free throws for a 47-27
lead. Saint Michael's responded with a 10-5 run of its own to
narrow the Dolphins' lead to 15, the lowest it would get the
remainder of the contest.
Ekperigin rattled off seven of Le Moyne's next 10 points to
eclipse his previous career-high of 29 points and give the Dolphins
a 62-41 lead with 10:14 remaining in the game. Johnson followed
with five points over a span of 1:15 to extend his squad's lead to
27 at 71-44. Junior center Eduardo Archibold Brown (Panama
City, Panama/Mercershure Academy/U. of West Georgia)
scored his first four points as a Dolphin on a pair of layups one
minute apart, the second of which gave Le Moyne a game-high
32-point lead at 82-50 with 2:45 left. The Purple Knights hit a
jump shot and three three-pointers to close out the game's
scoring.
Le Moyne (3-5, NE-10 3-4), which snapped a four-game losing
streak, returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 7:30 for a
non-conference matchup against Caldwell.
-agate-
Le Moyne 82,
Saint Michael's 61
Saint Michael's (5-4, NE-10
3-4)
24
37
-
61
Le Moyne (3-5, NE-10 3-4)
37
45
- 82
