Syracuse, N.Y. – Junior guard Gamal Mohamed (North Plainfield, N.J./Immaculata) scored a career-high 19 points to lead the Le Moyne College men's basketball team to an 81-63 win over Merrimack in Northeast-10 Conference play on Wednesday night at Ted Grant Court.

Mohamed, who hit five of his eight three-point attempts, tallied 14 of his points in the opening half. Senior guard Chris Johnson (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) scored all 17 of his points in the first half as he hit four of his five three-point attempts. Sophomores Nate Champion (Logansport, Ind./Logansport) and Brian Zapisek (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) each scored 12 points, while Champion dished out nine assists and Zapisek grabbed six rebounds. Sophomore center Jim Janson (Scotia, N.Y./Scotia-Glenville) led all players in the game with 11 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.

Wayne Mack led the Warriors with 16 points, while Tyler Young scored 14 points and Aaron Strothers tallied 13 points. Mike Clifford grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds.

The Dolphins, who made 14 three-pointers and never trailed in the game, scored the first five points on a three-pointer from the left wing by Mohamed and a put-back lay-up by Janson. After Mack had a lay-up and Young had a tip-in to make the score 5-4, the Dolphins got consecutive three-pointers from Mohamed and Johnson.

Following a tip-in by freshman forward Ryan Romich (Groton, Mass./Groton-Dunstable/Vermont Academy) that gave the Dolphins a 15-6 lead with 11:39 remaining, the Warriors scored seven straight points to get within a basket, but that's as close as they would get the rest of the game. Roland Davis made a jumper, Mack had a fast-break lay-up and then nailed a three-pointer to make the score 14-13 with 9:59 remaining in the stanza.

The Dolphins rattled off 13 of the game's next 16 points for their first double-digit lead. Johnson had a conventional three-point play and a three-pointer in the stretch, while Mohamed nailed a three-pointer and Champion and Zapisek had two points apiece.

After Merrimack got within 30-23 on a Strothers free throw with 4:21 left in the half, the Dolphins tallied 19 of the final 25 points of the stanza to take a 49-29 lead at halftime. Zapisek started the streak with a three-pointer, Johnson followed with one of his own, Champion converted a jumper, Johnson nailed another three-pointer and then made a fast-break lay-up and Champion ended the scoring with Le Moyne's 10th three-pointer of the half.

Le Moyne scored the first five points of the second half on a Zapisek three-pointer and two Champion free throws to take its largest lead of the game, 54-29, at the 19:14 mark.

The Warriors scored eight straight points on three-pointers by Davis and Mack and a lay-up by Strothers, but the Dolphins score 14 of the next 20 points to extend their lead back to 25 with 11:19 remaining. Five different Dolphins scored in the stretch, led by consecutive lay-ups from junior guard Derrek Tartt (Chicago, Ill./Oak Park Fenwick/UAlbany).

Le Moyne's lead bounced between 21 and 25 points over the ensuing six minutes before the Warriors were able to cut their deficit to 18 with 2:31 remaining. Sophomore forward Colin Sekal">Colin Sekal (Elkhart, Ind./Veritas Christian Academy (N.C.)/Wagner) and Travonne Berry-Rogers traded baskets in the final two minutes to close out the game's scoring.

Le Moyne (8-6, 4-6 NE-10), which has won five of six games since Johnson and Mohamed were inserted into the starting line-up, returns to the hardwood on Saturday at Stonehill at 3:30 p.m.