Erie, Pa. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team forced overtime with a 22-8 run over the last five minutes of regulation, but fell to Winston-Salem State University, 83-81, in the first round of the 38th Annual Gary Miller Classic, hosted by Gannon University, on Friday evening at the Highmark Events Center.

Fourth-year junior forward Luke Sutherland (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee/Siena/Bryant) led the Dolphins in the setback with 20 points, including 12 in the second half and six in overtime. Sophomore guard Zy'Ever Wingfield (Richmond, Va./Henrico/Fork Union Military Academy) registered 16 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks off the bench. Redshirt sophomore forward Isaiah Elmore (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic) was the third Dolphin in double digits with 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field. First-year graduate student guard Mike DePersia (Cherry Hill, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial/IUPUI), who forced the overtime period with a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left, finished the game with eight points, a team-high eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Jaylon Gibson led the Rams with 30 points, 16 of which came in the first half, and eight rebounds. Samage Teel posted 14 points, five assists and three steals, while Isaac Parson had 13 points and three steals. Jaylen Alston recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

After the Rams got a three-pointer and a lay-up for a 16-10 lead, the Dolphins scored six points in a row and 14 of the next 19 to take the lead. Freshman guard Trent Mosquera (Brookline, Mass./Belmont Hill School) started the run with a three-pointer, DePersia made a free throw, Mosquera evened the score with a lay-up, senior forward Xavier Wilson (Spring Valley, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac/The Hotchkiss School/Central Connecticut State) hit a jumper and then redshirt sophomore guard Kevin Constant (Lawrence, Mass./Central Catholic/Tilton School) put the Dolphins in front with a lay-up. Jon Hicklin put the Rams back in front, but Elmore countered with a lay-up and Wingfield made one of his own for a 24-21 advantage.

Winston-Salem State answered with 11 consecutive points and 13 of the final 16 points of the half to take a seven-point lead into the intermission. Gibson, who accounted for 12 points in the span, started the streak with a dunk, Xavier Fennell converted a foul shot, Gibson drained back-to-back three-pointers and then made a lay-up. After Sutherland snapped the 11-0 run with a turnaround jumper in the paint, Gibson made a driving lay-up. Constant got the Dolphins within 34-27 at halftime with a free throw.

The teams traded baskets over the opening four and one-half minutes of the second half. Gibson and Wilson each made two shots and then Teel and DePersia alternated baskets for a 40-33 lead for the Rams.

Winston-Salem tallied nine of the next 11 points to take its largest lead of the game. Alston scored the first six points and then Hicklin buried a three-pointer after an Elmore lay-up for a 49-35 lead with 13:14 to play.

Sutherland got the Dolphins within 10 with a lay-up and then a pair of free throws, but Isaac Parson answered with a conventional three-point play to push the margin back to 13 with 10:20 remaining.

The lead for the Rams was either 11 or 13 over the next 2:45 before Sutherland drained a three-pointer out of the under-eight media timeout to get the Dolphins within 10 again.

Gibson scored six of the game's next eight points to push Winston-Salem's lead back to 14 at 62-48 with 6:07 left.

The Dolphins ran off eight of the next 10 points to close within single digits. Elmore had the first six points and then Wingfield converted a driving lay-up to make it 64-56 with 3:40 left.

The teams traded points over the next two minutes, leading to a 69-60 Winston-Salem State lead. First-year graduate student Isaiah Salter (Charlotte, N.C./Central Cabarrus/American International/Adelphi) followed with a lay-up and then Wingfield made one to get the Dolphins within 69-64 with 59.8 seconds left.

Teel pushed the margin to six with 57 seconds left, but Sutherland answered with a three-pointer to cut the deficit in half. After the Rams missed two free throws with 33 seconds left, Wingfield drew a foul with 21.9 seconds left and converted both foul shots to pull the Dolphins within one. Alston extended the lead to two by going 1-of-2 at the foul line with 20 seconds left. After Le Moyne committed a turnover with 17 seconds left, Teel was fouled with 10 seconds left and went to the foul line, where he went 1-of-2 to put the Rams up 72-69.

DePersia pushed the ball up court before using a screen from Sutherland to drill a step-back three-pointer from straightaway with 0.7 seconds left to force overtime.

Gibson scored four points around a three-pointer by Sutherland to open overtime before Alston made two foul shots to put the Rams up by three. Following a lay-up by Wingfield, Parson drained a three-pointer from the left wing to give the Rams an 81-77 lead with 1:27 to go. Parson pushed the margin to five with 17.7 seconds left. Sutherland responded by burying a three-pointer with 10 seconds left to get the Dolphins within 82-80.

After Alston went 1-of-2 at the foul line to put the Rams up by three, Salter was fouled after crossing midcourt with 2.1 seconds left. He made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second. The rebound caromed to Wilson on the right block, where he was able to get off a shot, but it rolled off the rim as time expired.
 
Le Moyne (2-4), which moves to 4-5 in five appearances at the Gary Miller Classic and 1-3 in the first round, takes on Gannon in the consolation game on Saturday at 5:30.