Albany, N.Y. - Junior forward Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) scored 30 points, grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds and blocked a school-record tying seven shots to lead the Le Moyne College men's basketball team to a 77-68 win over The College of Saint Rose at Nolan Gym on Tuesday night. The win was the first by the Dolphins at Saint Rose since November of 1991 in the Championship game of the Capital Key Classic.

Ekperigin, who was named the Northeast-10 Conference player of the week for the sixth time this season on Monday, registered 15 points in each half to account for the second-highest scoring output of his career. Ekperigin registered his 17th double-double of the season by halftime as he pulled down 11 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. The 20 rebounds eclipses his previous career-best of 19 set in a victory at Saint Anselm on January 17. Ekperigin's seven blocks ties the single-game mark set by John Tomsich '99 in 1995 and later tied by Brendan Bayly '04 in 2001. Freshman guard Chris Johnson (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) came off the bench to score 16 points in 35 minutes of action. Johnson drilled four three-pointers to tie the single-season freshman record set by Trent Morgan in the 2004-05 season. Sophomore forward Kevin Roth (Lake View, N.Y./St. Francis) posted 14 points and six rebounds, while junior guard Damani Corbin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglass) added 11 points and five assists. Jermaine Clark hit six three-pointers en route to 26 points to lead the Golden Knights. Brian Ledbetter came off the bench to score 13 points.

Ekperigin recorded a conventional three-point play, Corbin made a layup and Johnson drilled a three-pointer to open the second half and give the Dolphins a 44-37 lead. The Golden Knights responded with seven straight points to tie the contest for the final time at the 16:50 mark. Following the 16-minute media timeout, the Dolphins used an 11-4 run to take control of the game. Ekperigin scored the first four points of the streak with Corbin hitting a layup at the 10-minute mark.

After trading baskets over the ensuing seven minutes, Ekperigin hit a pair of foul shots and Johnson drilled a three-pointer to put their team ahead by 11 points. The Dolphins hit eight foul shots over the minute and a half to close out the contest.

The two teams exchanged baskets over the opening 11:21 to deliver a 19-19 tie, with neither team leading by more than four points. Ekperigin tallied eight points in the span, while Corbin tied the score on a layup. Following the tie, the Dolphins tallied five straight points and 11 of the half's next 16 points to take a six point advantage at 30-24 with 3:41 remaining in the stanza.

Following five straight points by Saint Rose, Ekperigin made consecutive layups and Johnson hit a 19-foot jumper around a basket by Ledbetter. With two seconds remaining in the period, Ledbetter hit a jumper from the left corner to pull the Golden Knights within 36-33 at the half.

Le Moyne (14-10, NE-10 10-9), which has won five straight games and seven of its last eight, returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 14 against Saint Anselm at 3:00 p.m. for its final regular season home game of the season.

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Le Moyne 77, Saint Rose 68
Le Moyne (14-10, NE-10 10-9)          36        41        -           77
Saint Rose (11-12, NE-10 9-9)            33        35        -           68