Syracuse, N.Y. – Redshirt senior guard Malik Garner (Midland, Mich./H.H. Dow/Sunrise Christian Academy/Saginaw Valley State) scored four points in the last 35 seconds as the Le Moyne College men's basketball team registered an 81-78 victory over Bentley University on Tuesday evening in Northeast-10 Conference play at Ted Grant Court.

Senior guard Ryan Roland (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill/Mercyhurst) recorded a game-best 26 points, including 13 in each half, while dishing out six assists and posting three steals. Senior forward Tom Brown (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) registered his ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Garner finished the contest with 11 points, while junior guard Tim Leavell (Marion, Ind./Marion/State Fair C.C.) turned in 10 second-half points.

Chris Hudson led the Falcons in the setback with 25 points, including 17 in the second half, seven rebounds and five steals. Mason Webb posted 11 of his 15 points in the first half, while Adria Amabilino Perez scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half to go with seven rebounds.

After Roland started the game's scoring with a fast-break lay-up off a steal, Bentley scored the next seven points. Hudson made a lay-up and then Brian Wright-Kinsey hit a three-pointer and made a lay-up.

Le Moyne, which received a 25th-place vote from one of the 16 voters in this week's NABC Top 25 poll, answered with nine consecutive points over 2:16. Roland had a four-point play and followed with a fast-break three-pointer and then Brown hit a jumper off a pass from Roland.

Bentley, which received five points in this week's NABC poll, countered with 10 straight points to take its largest lead of the game. Seth Stankiewicz hit a three-pointer, Hudson and Amabilino Perez scored in the paint and then Webb drilled a three-pointer.

The Dolphins responded with nine consecutive points to take the lead back. Sophomore forward BB Chuks-Mady (Hamilton, Ontario/GTA Prep) made a pair of shots in the paint, Brown hit a three-pointer for the lead and then Roland scored in the paint for a 20-17 lead with 9:02 left in the half.

Following six points from each team over the next two minutes, Bentley recorded eight straight points. Wright-Kinsey hit a jumper and then Webb made back-to-back three-pointers for a five-point lead.

The Dolphins answered back with three-pointers from Garner and Brown off passes from Roland to take their final lead of the half.

Stankiewicz scored in the paint with two seconds left to give Bentley a 35-34 lead at halftime.

Roland scored the first five points of the second half to five the Dolphins a 39-35 lead.

After Bentley used a 5-0 run to take the lead back, the Dolphins tallied eight straight points to take the largest lead of the game at 49-42 with 15:15 to play. Sophomore guard Nino Hernandez (Gardner, Mass./The Winchendon School/Bryant) made a lay-up, Roland hit another three-pointer and then Hernandez recorded a conventional three-point play.

Following back-and-forth play over the next four minutes, during which Roland connected on his ninth straight three-pointer on the basket in front of the Le Moyne bench, Amabilino scored five straight points to get the Falcons within one with 10:41 to play.

Leavell put the Dolphins back up by four with a three-pointer with 9:54 left, but the Falcons answered with six straight points from three different players to take the lead, 65-63, with 8:09 remaining.

Following seven points from each team over the next three and one-half minutes, during which time the lead changed three times, the Dolphins scored the next five points to take the lead for good. Brown drilled a three-pointer for the lead and Garner followed with a shot in the paint with 3:24 left for a 75-72 advantage.

The Falcons got within one on three occasions over the next three minutes, but Garner converted two foul shots with 20 seconds left to complete the game's scoring.

After calling timeout, the Falcons got off a three-pointer from the right wing, but it was off the mark and they were unable to get off another attempt before time expired after getting the offensive rebound.
 
Le Moyne (15-5, 11-1 NE10), which became the first team in the conference to clinch a berth in the conference championships, concludes NE10 crossover action on Saturday at Assumption College at 3:30 p.m.