West Haven, Conn. – Junior guard Ryan Roland (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill/Mercyhurst) made two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to give the Le Moyne College men's basketball team a 57-56 victory over the University of New Haven on Tuesday night in a battle for first place in the Northeast-10 Conference's Southwest Division at Charger Gymnasium.

With the victory, the Dolphins (17-8, 14-6 NE10) claim the Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division title for the third straight year and the division's top seed in the NE10 Championship, which starts on Friday. The Dolphins open championship play on Sunday at 4:00 against either Franklin Pierce University, the fourth seed from the Northeast Division, or Pace University, the fifth seed from the Southwest Division. The Ravens host the Setters on Friday at 7:00 p.m. With the

Roland, who made four free throws in the final 92 seconds of the game, finished the contest with 13 points, while adding three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Junior forward Kobi Nwandu (York, Pa./Northeastern York/East Stroudsburg) led the Dolphins in scoring with 18 points, including 10 in the first half, while adding four rebounds and two blocked shots. Senior forward C.J. Asuncion-Byrd (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich/St. Thomas More/Gannon) scored eight of his 12 points in the first half, while posting four rebounds and four assists.

Derrick Rowland led the Chargers in the loss with 19 points, including 13 in the first half, and added four rebounds and four assists. Roy Kane, Jr. scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Elijah Bailey was the third Charger in double figures with 10 points.

The teams went back and forth throughout the first half. After New Haven took an 11-10 lead on a lay-up by Rowland, the Dolphins answered with six straight points. Asuncion-Byrd made a pair of lay-ups around a basket by Nwandu.

New Haven responded with five straight points and 15 of the next 17 to take the largest lead of the game, 28-20, with 7:12 left in the half. Rowland and Kane each had five points in the span, while Bailey made a fast-break shot and Najee Larcher had a conventional three-point play.

The Dolphins countered with a 9-2 run to get within one with less than two minutes remaining in the half. Freshman forward BB Chuks-Mady (Hamilton, Ontario/GTA Prep) scored four points, Nwandu recorded a conventional three-point play and then Asuncion-Byrd scored in the paint.

Bailey made two free throws with six seconds left in the half to put the Chargers up 34-31, but Roland connected on a three-pointer at the buzzer to even the score at 34.

After Nwandu gave the Dolphins a 38-36 lead with 17:30 left in the game, the Chargers scored six consecutive points. Kessly Felizor made a pair of shots around a lay-up by Bailey for a four-point lead with 14:49 to go.

The Dolphins evened the score at 42, but New Haven took the lead back with six straight points. Rowland scored in the paint, Kane Jr. hit a jumper and then Quashawn Lane made a shot in the paint for a 48-42 lead with 8:50 to play.

Le Moyne responded with eight consecutive points to take the lead back. Redshirt junior guard Malik Garner (Midland, Mich./H.H. Dow/Sunrise Christian Academy/Saginaw Valley State) drained a three-pointer, Asuncion-Byrd made a jumper in the paint and then Nwandu buried a three-pointer for a 50-48 lead with 6:28 left.

New Haven regained a four-point lead with 2:46 remaining with six straight points. Rowland tied the score with a jumper, Lane made two free throws and then Felizor made a lay-up.

Le Moyne took the lead back with a 5-0 spurt. Nwandu hit another three-pointer and then Roland converted two free throws with 1:32 to play.

After each team missed a shot, Rowland made a lay-up with 29 seconds left to give the Chargers the lead. The Dolphins missed a shot with seven seconds left and the Chargers grabbed the rebound.

Following two fouls by the Dolphins, the Chargers lost control of the ball out-of-bounds with 3.9 seconds remaining. After collecting the in-bounds pass, Roland drew a foul with 2.5 seconds left. He went to the foul line for a 1-and-1 and made both ends to give the Dolphins the lead.

The Chargers were unable to get off a clean shot before time expired.