New Haven, Conn. – Juniors Kobi Nwandu (York, Pa./Northeastern York/East Stroudsburg) and Malik Garner (Midland, Mich./H.H. Dow/Sunrise Christian Academy/Saginaw Valley State) combined for 50 points to lead the Le Moyne College men's basketball team to an 85-75 victory over Southern Connecticut State University in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Moore Field House.
 
Nwandu recorded his third career 20+ point game as he finished the contest with a game-high 27 points, including 15 in the second half. Garner registered a career-high 23 points, including 17 in the second half, four assists and four rebounds. Senior guard C.J. Asuncion-Byrd (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich/St. Thomas More/Gannon) tallied 13 points in 27 minutes off the bench. Junior forward Tom Brown (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, including eight in the first half, to go along with six points.

Kealan Ives led four Owls in double digits with 20 points, including 16 in the second half, while adding five assists. Luke Beesley recorded a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, including eight and seven in the second half. C.J. Seaforth posted nine of his 13 points in the second half, while Ulyen Coleman had 12 points and five rebounds.

After the teams split the first eight points of the game, Le Moyne scored eight straight points to take control of the game. Graduate student guard Tyree Chambers (Bayreuth, Germany/Graf-Münster Gymnasium/Providence) buried a pair of three-pointers around two free throws from Garner.

Following five minutes of back-and-forth play, which resulted in the Dolphins holding a 19-12 lead with 10:23 left in the half, Le Moyne scored seven straight points and 18 of the next 26 to open up its largest lead of the game, 37-20, with 4:19 to go. After baskets by three different players in the seven-point burst, Asuncion-Byrd drained back-to-back three-pointers and then followed a Chambers three-pointer with a transition lay-up to force a timeout by the Owls.

The Owls got within 14 on three occasions in the final four minutes of the half, but Garner made a lay-up at the buzzer to give the Dolphins a 44-28 lead at halftime.

Le Moyne's lead bounced between 13 and 16 points over the opening nine and one-half minutes of the second half.

The Owls were able to trim their deficit to 11 (63-52) with 10:16 left, but Asuncion-Byrd buried his third three-pointer of the game and Nwandu followed with two free throws to push the margin back to 16.

Southern Connecticut State used an 8-2 run over three minutes to cut its deficit to 10 with 5:31 to play. Ives had the first four points, Coleman made a jumper and Seaforth followed with a lay-up.

Le Moyne's lead then alternated between 10 and 12 points over the ensuing three and one-half minutes before the Owls scored six straight points to get within six with 1:00 left. Beesley had the first four points and then Ives made a jumper.

The Dolphins went 6-for-6 from the foul line before Nwandu answered an Ives three-pointer with a fast-break dunk and free throw to put the game away.

Le Moyne (2-1, 1-1 NE10) opens its home schedule on Tuesday against Adelphi University at 7:00 p.m.