February 4, 2009
MBB: EKPERIGIN AND ROTH SCORE 20 POINTS EACH TO LEAD LE MOYNE OVER
PACE, 74-53
Syracuse, N.Y. - The low-post combination of junior
Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter
Panas) and sophomore Kevin Roth (Lake View,
N.Y./St. Francis) scored 20 points each to lead the Le
Moyne College men's basketball to a 74-53 win over Pace on
Wednesday night at Ted Grant Court.
Ekperigin, who has scored in double-figures in 16 consecutive
games, tallied 10 points in each half and pulled down a game-best
11 rebounds for his 15th double-double of the season. With his 10th
point of the game, Ekperigin became the 20th player in the
program's history to score 1,200 career points. Roth finished
9-of-13 from the field and recorded eight rebounds. Senior swingman
Phil Barnes (Georgetown, Cayman Islands/Clinton
C.C.) scored 12 points and had six rebounds, while junior
guard Damani Corbin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick
Douglass) scored 10 points and dished out a season-best
eight assists. Freshman Justin Alston led the Setters with 18
points, including five three-pointers.
Following a 9-9 deadlock over the opening 3:19 of the second half,
Le Moyne rattled off 10 straight points on two three-pointers by
freshman guard Chris Johnson (Lindenhurst,
N.Y./Lindenhurst) and layups by Roth and Ekperigin.
Freshman Ryan Woods, the reigning conference freshman of the week
and his team's leading scorer, snapped the Dolphins' run with a
three-pointer.
The Dolphins used one last push between the 9:52 mark and the 6:41
mark to open up a game-best 23 point lead. Ekperigin converted a
pair of foul shots, Corbin made a driving layup from the right
side, Roth added a layup of his own and Barnes capped the streak
with a three-pointer for a 67-44 lead. The Setters, held to their
lowest scoring output of the season, scored nine of the contest's
final 16 points to deliver the final score.
After falling behind 6-2 over the opening 2:17 on a pair of
three-pointers by Alston, the Dolphins scored 10 consecutive points
to take a six point lead. Barnes opened the streak with a layup and
Ekperigin added four points on a pair of layups. The Setters
answered back with six points of their own to knot the game at 12
apiece with 12:58 remaining.
The two teams exchanged baskets over the next six minutes before
Le Moyne scored seven consecutive points to open up a first
half-best eight point lead. Barnes followed a back-to-back layups
by Ekperigin and Roth with a three-pointer to give the Dolphins a
29-21 lead with 4:28 remaining in the stanza. The Setters closed
the half on a 7-4 run to pull within four at the halftime
break.
Le Moyne (12-10, NE-10 8-9), winners of three in a row and five of
its last six games, return to action at Ted Grant Court on Saturday
at 3:00 p.m. against Southern Connecticut State. Prior to the
women's game, the men's team will hold its annual alumni game.
-agate-
Le Moyne 74,
Pace 53
Pace (7-14, NE-10
5-11)
28
25
-
53
Le Moyne (12-10, NE-10
8-9)
32
42
- 74
