Las Vegas, Nev. – First-year graduate student guard Nate McClure (Houston, Texas/Concordia Lutheran/Texas State/State Fair C.C./IUPUI) scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Le Moyne College men's basketball team to an 84-77 victory over Angelo State University in the first men's game of the D2 Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic on Saturday at the South Point Arena.

"Today was a step forward for our program," said head coach Nate Champion '14. "I thought we played a team game and we executed our game plan at a high level. It's always fun when you win, but seeing the growth of our team has been great. We are looking forward to another game against a very talented Lubbock Christian team tomorrow."

McClure recorded 11 points in each half and finished the day 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-5 from the foul line while adding a career high-tying six steals, four of which came in the first half. Sophomore guard Zy'Ever Wingfield (Richmond, Va./Henrico/Fork Union Military Academy) tallied 15 points, nine of which came in the second half. First-year graduate student guard Isaiah Salter (Charlotte, N.C./Central Cabarrus/American International/Adelphi) posted 12 points, including 10 in the first half, and four assists. Senior forward Xavier Wilson (Spring Valley, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac/The Hotchkiss School/Central Connecticut State) registered 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Angelo State, which is receiving votes in the latest NABC Coaches Poll, was led offensively by Kevon Godwin and Reggie Quezada, who each scored 16 points, including eight in each half for both, while Quezada added seven rebounds and six assists. Devaughn Thomas recorded 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

The Rams opened the game scoring the first eight points over the initial 1:38. Fredelin De La Cruz started the scoring with a lay-up and then Godwin drained back-to-back three-pointers to force a Le Moyne timeout.

After the teams traded points over the next two minutes, the Dolphins rattled off 24 of the next 31 points to take a 10-point lead. Seven Dolphins scored in the span, led by eight points from McClure and four each from Salter and Wilson.

Angelo State cut its deficit in half with five straight points from Thomas, but Le Moyne answered with a 9-2 spurt to take a 38-26 lead and force an Angelo State timeout. McClure made a fast-break lay-up, fourth-year junior forward Luke Sutherland (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee/Siena/Bryant) had a conventional three-point play, Wingfield made a jumper and then redshirt sophomore forward Isaiah Elmore (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic) had a fast-break dunk off a feed from Wingfield.

The teams then traded points before Sutherland drilled a three-pointer to give the Dolphins their largest lead of the game at 45-30 with 3:13 to go in the half.

Angelo State pulled within single digits with eight of the next 10 points, but McClure made a free throw and Salter connected on a three-pointer with 31 seconds left to give the Dolphins a 51-38 lead at halftime.

Just like the first half, Angelo State scored the first eight points of the second stanza to close within 51-46. Steve Webb started the half with a conventional three-point play and a jumper, Barlow Alleruzzo IV made two free throws and then Webb capped the stretch with another free throw.

Le Moyne countered with 15 of the next 20 points to regain its 15-point margin. McClure had nine points in the stretch with a three-pointer and two conventional three-point plays, Wilson hit a jumper and two free throws and Wingfield made two foul shots as the Dolphins took a 66-51 lead with 12:53 to play.

Following four points from each team over the next three and one-half minutes, the Rams tallied 12 of the next 15 points to cut their deficit to six at 73-67 with 5:28 to go. Alleruzzo IV started the run with two free throws, Tre Mitchell and Thomas made three-pointers and then Quezada had four points over two possessions to force a Le Moyne timeout.

Wingfield made a lay-up and McClure hit two free throws over the next 3:12 to push Le Moyne's lead back to double digits.

Angelo State got within seven on a pair of occasions over the next 1:13 around four free throws by fourth-year junior guard Jeremiah Washington (Chicago, Ill./Bogan/Ferris State) before Godwin drilled a three-pointer with 17 seconds left to make it an 81-75 margin. After Wingfield made his ninth foul shot of the game, Quezada converted a lay-up with 8.0 seconds left to get the Rams within 82-77. Salter drew a foul on the ensuing in-bounds pass and converted both foul shots with 5.8 seconds left to close out the game's scoring.

Le Moyne (8-5), which also defeated Angelo State at the 2018 Holiday Hoops Classic, concludes play at the Classic on Sunday against Lubbock Christian University at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.