Syracuse, N.Y. - Sophomore forward Kevin Roth (Lake View, N.Y./St. Francis H.S.) scored 14 points to lead four players in double-figures as the sixth-seeded Le Moyne College men's basketball team to a 73-53 win over 11th-seeded Franklin Pierce in the opening round of the Northeast-10 Conference playoff on Saturday afternoon at Ted Grant Court.

Roth scored seven points in each half, while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Junior forward Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas), the 2009 Northeast-10 Player of the Year, tallied 12 points, but grabbed a season-low four rebounds. Freshman guard Chris Johnson (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst), a member of the conference's All-Rookie Team, and junior guard Damani Corbin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglass) each tallied 10 points. Jeff Manchester and Jack Barrett each tallied 12 for the Ravens.

The two teams traded points over the opening five minutes of the second half as the Dolphins help onto a 23-point lead. The Dolphins used a 16-9 spurt over the seven minutes to take a game-best 30 point lead. Junior center Eduardo Archibold Brown (Panama City, Panama/Mercershure Academy/West Georgia) tallied consecutive layups and the start of the streak, while senior swingman Phil Barnes (Georgetown, Cayman Islands/Clinton C.C.) hit a pair of free throws and a three-pointer from the left wing to cap the stretch.

The Ravens registered a 17-7 edge over the final seven minutes to pull within 20 points at the final buzzer. Barrett hit a pair of three-pointers from the top of the key and Adedamola Abu tallied four points to lead the charge.

After the Ravens took an early 4-2 lead on a pair of baskets by Terrell Ray, the Dolphins rattled off 10 straight points to take the lead. Ekperigin started the run with a two-handed dunk off a feed from Roth, freshman guard James Cormier (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull/Proctor Academy) hit a three-pointer from the top of the key and Roth closed the streak with a conventional three-point play. Manchester answered back with a three-pointer from the left wing before the Dolphins embarked on a 31-9 run to open up a 25 point lead. Johnson tallied seven points in the run, while Ekperigin scored six and Corbin added five. Kinard Dozier closed out the half with a driving layup from the right side to deliver a 41-18 Le Moyne lead at the half.

Le Moyne (18-10), which has won nine straight games and 11 of its last 12 contests, returns to action on Monday against third-seeded Stonehill at 7:00 p.m. The 18 wins by the Dolphins are the most since the 1997-98 season.