February 24, 2009
MBB: DOLPHINS CLINCH SIXTH SEED WITH 75-71 VICTORY AT SOUTHERN
CONNECTICUT STATE
New Haven, Conn. - Senior swingman Phil Barnes (Georgetown,
Cayman Islands/Clinton C.C.) recorded a double-double of
23 points and 10 rebounds as five players finished in double
figures to lead the Le Moyne College men's basketball team to a
75-71 Northeast-10 Conference victory at Southern Connecticut State
on Tuesday night at Moore Field House. With the victory, the
Dolphins clinched the sixth seed in the upcoming Northeast-10
tournament.
Barnes, who established a new career high in the final regular
season game of the season, posted 17 points and seven rebounds in
the first half. Freshman guard Chris Johnson (Lindenhurst,
N.Y./Lindenhurst) came off the bench to score 16 points,
while hitting five three-pointers. The five three-pointers raise
his season total to 94, which ties Peter Jerebko '88 for
second-most in a season by a Dolphin. Classmate James
Cormier (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull/Proctor Academy) scored
12 points and dished out a season high-tying seven assists in his
return to his home state. The frontcourt tandem of junior
Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter
Panas) and sophomore Kevin Roth (Lake View,
N.Y./St. Francis) each posted 11 points and eight
rebounds. Terron Jones led the Owls with a game-high 27 points,
including 17 in the second half before fouling out with 1:30
remaining in the contest. Preston Bell and Andrew Zito registered
19 and 13 points, respectively.
After Jones and Bell each split a pair of free throws in the
opening 1:30 of the second half, the Dolphins rattled off nine
straight points to open an 11 point lead. Junior guard
Durett Miles (Schenectady, N.Y./Schenectady)
ignited the run with a layup, Ekperigin followed with a dunk,
Barnes hit a layup and Johnson drilled his third three-pointer of
the contest. The Owls tallied a pair of baskets to narrow their
deficit to seven with 12:57 remaining, but Le Moyne responded with
a 14-6 run to take a game-high 15 point lead at the 9:07 mark. Roth
contributed five points in the streak, while Cormier, Johnson and
Barnes each drilled shots from behind the three-point line.
Over the next seven minutes, Southern Connecticut embarked on a
23-10 streak to pull within two points. Bell accounted for 12
points in the stretch, while Jones added eight. The Dolphins
answered back as Cormier drilled a pair of free throws and Roth
scored on a layup off a feed from Ekperigin. Justin Gardenhire got
the Owls within three on two occasions in the final 32 seconds, but
Barnes and Johnson each hit a foul shot to seal the victory.
The two squads were tied at three apiece at the 16:24 mark
following a game-opening three-pointer by Barnes and three foul
shots by Jones. The Dolphins seized control of the contest with a
7-0 run on three-pointers by Johnson and Cormier. After Zito and
Barnes traded baskets, the Owls ran off 10 straight points to take
a 16-13 lead with 10:53 remaining in the stanza. Jones and Bell
each tallied four points in the streak.
Le Moyne answered back with an 11-1 run of its own to take the lead
for good. Barnes hit a pair of threes around a Johnson
three-pointer, then hit a layup to account for the Dolphins'
points. Southern Connecticut closed the half with 14 of the final
25 points as the Dolphins took a 35-31 lead into intermission.
Le Moyne (17-10, NE-10 13-9), which has won eight straight games to
record the team's longest winning streak since February 1993. The
17 wins equals the most in a season by head coach Steve Evans. The
Dolphins open the Northeast-10 Conference tournament on Saturday at
2:00 p.m. against 11th-seed Franklin Pierce. In the two teams'
prior meeting this year, the Ravens defeated the Dolphins, 72-67,
in Rindge, N.H.
-agate-
Le Moyne 75,
Southern Connecticut State 71
Le Moyne (17-10, NE-10
13-9)
35
40
-
75
So. Conn. State (2-25, NE-10 1-21)
31
40
- 71
