Syracuse, N.Y. – Senior forward Isaiah Eisendorf (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook/Gannon) scored a career-high 29 points to lead the top-seeded Le Moyne College men's basketball team to a 83-55 victory over second-seeded Merrimack College in the Northeast-10 Conference Championships semifinals on Wednesday evening at Ted Grant Court.

With the victory, Le Moyne's 14th in their last 15 games, the Dolphins will host the Northeast-10 Conference Championship game for the first time in the program's history on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. against Saint Anselm College, the top seed in the NE10 Northeast Division. The Dolphins advance to the title game for the third time in the program's 22 years in the league. The Dolphins won the championship in their first season in the conference (1996-97) over then-Bryant College, while dropping the 2008-09 title game at Assumption. Saturday's matchup will be the ninth postseason contest (seventh NE10) between the Dolphins and Hawks, with the Hawks holding a 6-2 advantage (4-2 in NE10) and winning the last four meetings. In the team's regular season meeting this season on January 20, the Dolphins were victorious 76-63 at Grant Court.

Eisendorf, who has established a new career high four times in the last seven games and scored at least 20 points in five of those seven games, scored 17 points in the first half. As part of his 17-point first half, Eisendorf scored 14 straight points for the Dolphins over a span of 9:32. He also pulled down a team high-tying nine rebounds, dished out two assists and posted two steals. Senior guard Russell Sangster (Rockville, Md./Bullis School) recorded 14 of his 20 points in the second half as the Dolphins had a pair of 20-point scorers for just the second time this season. Sangster, who like Eisendorf was named to the NE10 All-Conference Second Team on Monday, added six rebounds and two steals. Senior forward Robert Jones III (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield/Northeastern College/Idaho State) registered 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while senior guard Tanner Hyland (South Portland, Maine/South Portland/Bridgton Academy) netted 10 points off the bench. Redshirt senior guard Tyquan Rolon (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham/Mohawk Valley C.C.) tallied six points, a game-best eight assists and grabbed five rebounds off the bench.

Ryan Boulter led the Warriors offensively with 12 points, including nine in the second half, while grabbing four rebounds. Tawayne Anderson Jr. tallied eight of his 10 points in the first half. Juvaris Hayes, a first team all-conference selection, posted six points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. Hayes' third steal of the game set the conference's single-season record at 115.

Merrimack opened the game with seven of the first nine points to take its largest lead of the game 2:27 into the contest. Hayes and Anderson Jr. made lay-ups before Boulter hit a fast-break three-pointer.

The Dolphins countered with a 7-2 run of their own to knot the score at nine with 13:30. Eisendorf accounted for all seven points with a lay-up, a jumper and a three-pointer.
 
After four more points from Eisendorf gave the Dolphins their first lead of the game, 13-11, with 10:30 to go, the Warriors scored six straight points to force a Le Moyne timeout. Merrimack got lay-ups from Devon Moore, Kyle Howes and Jaleel Lord.

Le Moyne answered back with six of the next eight points to tie the score for the sixth time. Eisendorf and Jones III each had three points in the span.

Following a three-point play by Troy McLaughlin to put the Warriors up for the final time at 24-23 with 3:33 to go, the Dolphins scored five straight points and eight of the next 10 to take the lead for good. Hyland buried a three-pointer and Sangster made a jumper from just outside the paint to force a Merrimack timeout, while Eisendorf beat the shot clock with a three-pointer with 55 seconds left for a 31-26 lead.

Merrimack got within 31-30 with 15 seconds left, but Hyland converted a lay-up with three seconds left to give the Dolphins a 33-30 lead at the intermission.

The Dolphins scored the first four points of the second half on lay-ups by Eisendorf and Sangster to take the game's first seven point lead with 17:38 left.

After the teams traded points over the next five minutes, with Le Moyne's lead bouncing between three and seven points and settling at 44-39, the Dolphins scored nine straight points to take control of the game. Sangster made a jumper, Jones III had a tip-in and a fast-break lay-up and then Sangster drilled his 10th three-pointer of the season from the right wing with 10:44 left for a 53-39 advantage.

Following 10 points from each team over the next four minutes, the Dolphins rattled off 20 of the next 22 points to blow the game open. Hyland scored the first five in a span of 21 seconds, Eisendorf scored six and Jones III and Sangster each had two before departing the game for the final time with 2:49 left and the Dolphins leading 78-51. Senior forward Chandler Benson (Moravia, N.Y./Moravia) continued the run with three points over two possessions and then junior guard C.J. Asuncion-Byrd (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich/St. Thomas More/Gannon) completed Le Moyne's scoring with a tip-in with 59 seconds left.

The Warriors made two lay-ups in the final 53 seconds to complete the game's scoring.