February 14, 2009
MBB: DOLPHINS RALLY FOR 79-68 OVERTIME VICTORY OVER SAINT ANSELM
ON SENIOR DAY
Syracuse, N.Y. - Junior guard Damani Corbin (Brooklyn,
N.Y./Frederick Douglass) hit a driving layup with 5.4
seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime in the Le Moyne
College men's basketball team's 79-68 overtime victory over Saint
Anselm on Saturday afternoon at Ted Grant Court.
Freshman guard Chris Johnson (Lindenhurst,
N.Y./Lindenhurst) led the Dolphins with 21 
points in a career-high 41 minutes off the bench. Junior
forward Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter
Panas) finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and five
blocks for his 18th double-double of the season. Sophomore forward
Kevin Roth (Lake View, N.Y./St. Francis), who came
off the bench for the first time this season, registered 15 points
and nine rebounds. Senior swingman Phil Barnes (Georgetown,
Cayman Islands/Clinton C.C.), playing in his final home
regular season game, posted his third double-double of the season
with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Thomas Baudinet led four Hawks in
double-figures with 22 points. Pat Luptowski hit four
three-pointers en route to 14 points, while the frontcourt
combination of Branimir Zeko and Jack Keough accounted for 11 and
10 points, respectively. Greg Vetrano dished out 11 assists, while
scoring eight points.
Corbin, held scoreless until his game-tying basket, grabbed the
rebound off a missed foul shot by Baudinet with 12.6 seconds
remaining and raced down the court to bank in his layup. The Hawks
had an opportunity to score in the closing seconds, but Corbin
knocked the ball out of bounds before they could get a shot
off.
Johnson hit a 15-foot jumper with 4:11 remaining in the overtime
period to put the Dolphins ahead. Following a pair of foul shots by
Barnes, Johnson made a fast-break layup to give the Dolphins a
69-63 lead. Baudinet pulled the Hawks to within three with his
third three-pointer of the contest. Corbin had a fast-break layup
of his own and hit four of six free throws and Johnson was
four-for-four from the foul line down the stretch to seal the
outcome.
Roth scored five points and Barnes hit a pair of foul shots over
the opening 4:44 of the second half to tie the score at 34 apiece.
Following a three-pointer by Luptowski, the Dolphins used a 14-4
run to push out to a game-high seven point advantage with 9:02
remaining in regulation. Roth led the charge with a pair of layups,
while Ekperigin capped the streak with a fast-break dunk and foul
shot.
The Hawks tallied eight of the game's next nine points to tie the
score at 49 apiece with 7:05 remaining. Luptowski and Baudinet hit
back-to-back three-pointers to knot the score. Following a jumper
by Johnson gave the Dolphins a 51-49 lead, Vetrano recorded a
conventional three-point play, Zeko made a layup and Luptowski
drilled a three-pointer to give the Hawks a four point advantage.
Ekperigin led his team back with six consecutive points to give Le
Moyne a 59-57 lead with 3:05 remaining. After trading the lead on a
three-pointer by Vetrano and a layup by Barnes, Zeko made a layup
to give Saint Anselm its final lead. Baudinet hit his first of two
foul shots to set up Corbin's layup.
The Hawks scored the first 11 points of the contest en route to
taking a 16-2 lead with 15:13 remaining in the first half. Baudinet
scored seven points in the stretch, while Keough added six,
including a layup to cap the run. Following a timeout by the
Dolphins, Barnes made layup, Johnson drilled a three-pointer and
Ekperigin converted a fast-break layup to cut Saint Anselm's lead
in half.
After baskets in the paint by Keough and Baudinet around a layup
by Roth, Le Moyne tallied seven straight points to cut its deficit
to two with 7:06 remaining. Junior forward Kevin Hassett
(Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Mountain/Iona College) drilled a
three-pointer to bring the Dolphins to within 20-18. Saint Anselm
held a 10-9 edge over the final seven minutes to deliver a 30-27
lead at the intermission.
Prior to the contest, Barnes, in his second year with the Dolphins
after transferring from Clinton Community College, and four-year
center Mike McDonough (Ogdensburg,
N.Y./Ogdensburg) were honored for their contributions to
the program. McDonough joined Ekperigin in the frontcourt for his
fourth starting assignment of the season.
Le Moyne (15-10, NE-10 11-9), winners of six straight and eight of
its last nine games, has recorded its longest win streak since
January of 2004. The Dolphins return to action on Wednesday in
Colchester, Vt. against Saint Michael's at 7:30 p.m.
-agate-
Le Moyne 79,
Saint Anselm 68 (OT)
Saint Anselm (13-11, NE-10 8-11)
30
33
5
-
68
Le Moyne (15-10, NE-10
11-9)
27
36
16
- 79
