Rochester, N.Y. - The Le Moyne College men's basketball team won a thriller on the road Saturday night, defeating Roberts Wesleyan College by a score of 97-96 at the Voller Athletic Center in their first game of the 2021-22 season. Redshirt-freshman Kevin Constant (Lawrence, Mass./Central Catholic/Tilton School) hit the go-ahead layup with just one second remaining in the second half to give his team a one point lead and help the Dolphins improve to 1-0. Constant led the Dolphins in points, finishing the contest with 19 on 7-11 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-5 from the foul line. 

With 11:20 left in the first half, redshirt-freshman guard Jack Poirier (Scituate, Mass./Scituate) drilled a jumper to put Le Moyne up 22-16. Junior forward Xavier Wilson (Spring Valley, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac/The Hotchkiss School/Central Connecticut State) finished a layup with 8:22 left in the first half to give the Dolphins a 28-20 lead. Wilson and Poirier, along with senior guard Payton Hudson (Yonkers, N.Y./Our Savior Lutheran/Iona/Independence C.C.) provided Le Moyne with some much-needed scoring off the bench. Wilson, Poirier and Hudson finished the non-conference match-up with 10 points, eight points, and eight points, respectively. 

Roberts Wesleyan redshirt-junior Amari Lee hit a three pointer with just under four minutes remaining in the first half to tie the game at 36 all, and redshirt sophomore Ja'Kair Sanchez converted a fast break layup with 3:41 left in the half to give the Redhawks their first lead since they were up 11-10 at the 14:41 mark. 

A three-pointer from Lee just before the first half clock expired gave the Redhawks a 52-46 lead going into halftime. 

Le Moyne started the second half with a 12-0 run led by Constant, redshirt-freshman guard Christian Davis (Denver,Colo/Mullen/New Hampton School) and redshirt-freshman forward Isaiah Elmore (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic), to open up a 58-52 lead. Elmore made his presence known in the second period, scoring all eight of his points in the second half, and finishing the game with a +13 point differential. 

Senior guard Shane Fanning hit a three at the 17:56 mark to stop the run and cut the Redhawks deficit to 58-55.

Between the 14:37 and 12:53 mark in the second half, Constant scored two baskets, Davis scored another and converted the free throw on a three-point play to extend the Le Moyne lead to 73-64. 

Redhawks junior Abou Gbane made a free throw to complete a three-point play with 6:03 remaining in the second half to bring Roberts Wesleyan within five points. 

Constant, who was relentless attacking the basket all evening long, converted another layup with 5:51 left in the game to put the Dolphins up 85-78. The redshirt freshman from Lawrence, Massachusetts scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half, and also contributed six rebounds, three steals, and a couple blocks to the Le Moyne cause. 

Senior guard Nino Hernandez (Gardner, Mass./The Winchendon School/Bryant), who finished the contest with a team-high nine rebounds to go along with 14 points on 7-11 from the field, converted a layup to put Le Moyne up 92-85 with 2:44 left to go in the second half. The Dolphins would not score again until the 1:05 mark, and in that scoreless window the Redhawks went on an 8-0 run, capped by a Sanchez layup with 1:17 left to take a 93-92 lead, their first lead since the 19:28 mark in the second half. 

With one minute left in regulation, sophomore point guard Jeremiah Washington (Chicago, ILL./Bogan/Ferris State), who had yet to attempt a three point field goal in the game, confidently stepped into a long range shot and drilled it to put the Dolphins back on top, 95-93. 

The Redhawks continued to fight, and with eight seconds left Sanchez drew a foul in the paint and converted both free throws to give Roberts Wesleyan a 96-95 lead. 

Le Moyne brought the ball up the court and got it in the hands of Constant on the left wing. Constant drove to the basket and finished a tough, contested layup to give Le Moyne a 97-96 advantage with one second remaining. 

The Redhawks passed the ball in from under their own basket, but were unable to get a last-second shot off, and the Dolphins came away with a road win to start the season.

Here's what head coach Nate Champion '14 had to say after the win:

"It was great to see the resiliency that our team played with. Roberts Wesleyan is a strong team with a lot of experience and it showed tonight. We have a lot to work on but it's great to start the season off 1-0!"

The Le Moyne College men's basketball team will travel to Indiana, P.A. to take on Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. EST.