Syracuse, N.Y. – Senior forward
Maggie Brown (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland) recorded a double-double to lead the Le Moyne College women's basketball team to a 92-51 win over Georgian Court in the season opener for both teams on Saturday evening at Ted Grant Court.
Brown scored a career-high 24 points, 16 of which came in the first half, and pulled down 10 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end, while adding a career high-tying four steals. Senior guard
Vandell Andrade (Cranston, R.I./St. Mary's-Bay View/Rhode Island College) also posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds (nine offensive), while dishing out four assists and recording two steals. Junior guard
Ailayia Demand (Watervliet, N.Y./Watervliet) posted career-highs of 16 points, five assists and five steals, while grabbing three rebounds. Senior guard
Lauren Salzbrenner (Sheboygan, Wisc./Sheboygan North) registered career-bests of 12 points and five rebounds, while posting three steals and two assists. Sophomore forward
Courtney Webster (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds (eight offensive) and scored seven points in her first career start.
The 92 points are tied for the third-most in a game in the program's 40-year history and it is just the seventh time the Dolphins have reached 90 points. The team's 39 made field goals are the most by the program in over 14 seasons, while the 92 attempts are 13 moe than the second-highest total over the last 14 seasons. The 61 total rebounds eclipse the previous high over the last 14 seasons by seven, while the 25 assists are tied for the most over that span. The 16 steals are tied for the fourth-most and are one behind the most.
Alliyah Berger led the Lions in the loss with 16 points, while adding four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Jess Placher tallied 12 points, while Jada Atchison posted 11 points and five rebounds.
The Dolphins opened the game with the first 17 points over 7:05. Demand, Andrade and Brown each had four points in the streak.
After Georgian Court broke through with a free at the 2:45 mark, the Dolphins scored the last eight points of the first period for a 25-1 advantage. Brown scored six of the eight points in the stretch. The Dolphins tied an NCAA record by holding the Lions without a field goal in the period (0-16 shooting), while Georgian Court also committed 11 turnovers.
Lay-ups by Andrade and Salzbrenner pushed Le Moyne's lead to 26 1:15 into the second period before Georgian Court scored seven straight points to get within 19. Three Lions scored in the streak, which was capped by a three-pointer by Berger.
After Le Moyne scored five straight to push the margin back to 24, the Lions rattled off 12 of the next 14 points to get within 36-22 with 1:35 left in the half. Placher started the run with a three-pointer and then Atchison followed with nine straight points.
Brown made a pair of lay-ups in 17 seconds to give the Dolphins a 40-22 lead at halftime.
As it did in the first half, Le Moyne scored the first 12 points of the second half. All five starters scored in the span, led by four points from Salzbrenner.
After a pair of three-pointers by Placher got the Lions within 27, Le Moyne scored 10 straight points and 12 of the next 13 to go up 67-29 with 1:35 left in the third period. Five different Dolphins accounted for the 12 points, including three-pointers by sophomore guard
Ellie Leszyk (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) and Salzbrenner.
Berger made back-to-back jumpers to get the Lions within 70-34 at the end of three periods.
Georgian Court scored seven of the first nine points of the fourth period to trim its deficit to 31, 72-41. Jaelyn Tweedy had the first five and then Berger made two free throws.
Le Moyne answered with 11 straight points to take its first 40-point lead of the game. Brown netted four of the 11 points as four players scored in the streak.
The teams traded points the remainder of the game.
Le Moyne (1-0), which won its first game for the fifth straight year, concludes its opening weekend against Caldwell University on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.