October 23, 2008

LE MOYNE MEN'S BASKETBALL SELECTED SEVENTH IN NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL

South Easton, Mass. - The Le Moyne College men's basketball team has been selected to finish seventh in the Northeast-10 Conference standings, as voted on by the league's 15 head coaches. Bentley University, the defending regional champion, was picked to win its fifth consecutive regular season title and received 13 of the possible 15 first-place votes for 223 total points, as announced by the conference on Thursday, Oct. 23.

Merrimack garnered the one first-place vote to finish second with 203 points. Assumption was tabbed third after receiving 187 points, while Stonehill picked up the final first-place vote in earning 170 points to finish fourth. Saint Anselm and Saint Rose each received 146 points to finish in a tie for fifth place.

The Dolphins, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament for the second consecutive season last year, garnered 127 points to place seventh in the poll. American International and Southern New Hampshire followed with 110 points each to finish tied for eighth. Franklin Pierce rounds out the top-10 of the poll after recording 102 points. Pace (98), UMass Lowell (74), conference newcomer New Haven (41), Saint Michael's (40) and Southern Connecticut State (23) were selected to round out the standings.

Le Moyne returns seven letterwinners, including one starter, from last year's 15-14 squad. The Dolphins are led by preseason honorable mention All-American Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas). Ekperigin, named to the conference's First Team as a sophomore and All-Rookie Team as a freshman, led the team in scoring at 17.4 points per game and rebounding at 8.5 rebounds per game last season. Junior guard Damani Corbin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglass) posted 7.2 points and 3.2 assists per game during his sophomore campaign

The Dolphins open the season on Sunday, Nov. 16 at Syracuse University at 6:30 p.m. as part of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. The Northeast-10 Championship begins on Saturday, Feb. 28 with First Round action and concludes on Saturday, March 7 with the championship final.

-agate-

1. Bentley (13) 223, 2. Merrimack (1) 203, 3. Assumption 187, 4. Stonehill (1) 170, t5. Saint Anselm 146, t5. Saint Rose 146, 7. Le Moyne 127, t8. American International 110, t8. Southern New Hampshire 110, 10. Franklin Pierce 102, 11. Pace 98, 12. UMass Lowell 74, 13. New Haven 41, 14. Saint Michael's 40, 15. Southern Connecticut State 23.
(First Place Votes In Parentheses)