Colchester, Vt. – Senior guard Lauren Salzbrenner (Sheboygan, Wis./Sheboygan North) scored 13 points to lead the Le Moyne College women's basketball team to a 59-53 win over Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference play on Wednesday night at the Ross Sports Center.

Salzbrenner tallied nine of her points in the second quarter on a trio of three-pointers, while adding career-highs of eight rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard Melanie Quijano (San Diego, Calif./Horizon Christian) registered career-bests of 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. Senior guard Vandell Andrade (Cranston, R.I./St. Mary's-Bay View/Rhode Island College) posted 12 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, seven rebounds and four assists, while classmate Maggie Brown (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland) tallied 11 points to move into 26th place on the program's all-time scoring chart with 762 points.

Samantha Delaney was the only Purple Knight to score in double figures with 14 points, while adding a game-best nine rebounds.

Le Moyne opened the game by making its first eight shot attempts as the Dolphins scored the first nine points, 15 of the first 16 and 17 of the opening 22 over 5:37. Brown and sophomore forward Joanna Dobrovosky (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) each scored six points in the stretch to lead the Dolphins.

Saint Michael's countered with an 11-2 run over the last 3:32 of the quarter to pull within 19-16. Delaney had four of the points, Maddy Bennett scored three and Makenzie Burud and Emily Ferreri each had two.

The Dolphins tallied the first eight points of the second quarter to push their lead back into double digits. Salzbrenner buried a pair of three-pointers in the span around a jumper by Brown.
 
After Saint Michael's scored five of the next eight points, the Dolphins put together a 7-2 run to take their second 14-point lead of the game. Salzbrenner started the spurt with a three-pointer, Quijano made a lay-up and then sophomore forward Courtney Webster (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) knocked down a jump shot for a 37-23 advantage with 2:16 left in the half.

Delaney made two free throws with 1:54 left to get the Purple Knights within 37-25 at halftime.

After the teams traded points to start the third quarter, Saint Michael's rattled off 13 of the next 15 points to get within one point. Six different Purple Knights scored in the stretch, led by three points from Megan Gaudreau.

Brown made a free throw with seven seconds left to give Le Moyne a 42-40 edge after three quarters.

Saint Michael's tallied the first seven points of the fourth quarter to take the lead. Indira Evora tied the score with a lay-up and then gave the Purple Knights the lead with a three-pointer with 8:07 remaining. Delaney then made a jumper with 6:01 to play to push the margin to five.

Following a Saint Michael's timeout after Delaney's basket, Le Moyne scored seven straight points over 2:14 to regain the lead. Andrade made a free throw, Quijano drained a three-pointer, Andrade tied the score with another free throw and then she converted a fast-break lay-up off a steal by Quijano for the lead with 3:06 left.

Delaney evened the score at 49 with a lay-up with 2:40 remaining, but the Dolphins tallied the next eight points to take the lead for good. Andrade bookended the streak with a pair of lay-ups around a lay-up and two free throws by Salzbrenner.

Le Moyne extended its run to 17-3 as Quijano made two free throws with 33 seconds left after Burud made a free throw.

Evora delivered the final score by making a three-pointer with 23 seconds left.

Le Moyne (9-8, 6-5 NE-10), which has won three straight against the Purple Knights, returns home to face Bentley University on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.