Corpus Christi, Texas – Sophomore guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) scored a career-high 16 points to lead the Le Moyne College men's basketball team to a 65-53 victory over the University of Tennessee at Martin on Friday evening in the second game of the Island U Invitational at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Dugan Wellness Center.

Dancler tallied 14 of his game-high point total in just over 19 minutes of action in the second half, including connecting on a career-best three three-pointers and pulling down four rebounds. Senior forward Ocypher Owens (Orlando, Fla./Orlando Christian Prep/Indian River State) just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds in his return to the lineup after missing four games, while adding three blocks. Redshirt junior forward Dwayne Koroma (Berlin, Germany/Bishop Walsh (Md.)/Iona/Salt Lake C.C./UT Arlington) turned in 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Junior guard Trent Mosquera (Brookline, Mass./Belmont Hill School) was the fourth Dolphin to score in double digits with 10 points off the bench, while grabbing five rebounds.

Defensively, the Dolphins held UT Martin to 25.4-percent shooting from the field (17-of-67), the lowest mark by an opponent since holding Dominican (N.Y.) to 25.0-percent (16-of-64) on January 2, 2013, a span of 317 games. They also held the Skyhawks to 9.7-percent shooting from three-point range (3-of-31), the lowest mark by an opponent since Stonehill shot 7.7-percent (1-13) on February 25, 2022, a span of 69 games.

Afan Trnka led the Skyhawks in the loss with 12 points, while Tarence Guinyard had 10 points and five rebounds.

After the teams split the first 10 points of the game, Le Moyne scored nine of the next 11 points to open up a 14-7 lead. Graduate student guard Robby Carmody (Mars, Pa./Mars Area/Notre Dame/Mercer), who also returned to the lineup after missing the last four games, scored the first four points and then Owens had a fast-break lay-up and a three-pointer.

The Skyhawks answered back with 10 of the next 15 points to trim their deficit to two with 8:10 left in the half. Four players scored in the span, led by three points each from Guinyard and Trnka.

The teams then went into a cold spell as the Dolphins went 6:45 without a field goal and converted just three free throws in the stretch, while the Skyhawks went 5:04 without a point and 5:52 without a field goal. AJ Hopkins snapped UT Martin's drought without a field goal with a three-pointer with 2:18 left to knot the score at 22.

Mosquera answered back with a three-pointer to beat the shot clock to kickstart a 6-2 run to close out the half. Dancler scored his first two points of the night from the foul line with 54 seconds left and then fifth-year guard Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va./Oak Hill Academy/Towson) made a foul shot with 19 seconds left to cap the scoring in the half to make it 28-24.

The Skyhawks scored the first four points of the second half to tie the score for the fourth and final time. Guinyard made two free throws after a player was ejected and then Vladimer Salaridze scored in the paint.

Dancler gave the Dolphins the lead back with a three-pointer and scored eight of his team's next 10 points over a span of 2:09 as the Dolphins opened up a six-point lead. He made two free throws, Koroma had a put-back and then Dancler drilled another three-pointer.

After the Dolphins went up 40-32 on a fast-break dunk by Koroma off a steal, the Skyhawks got a three-pointer and a jumper from Josue Grullon to get within three for the final time.
Following three minutes of scoreless action by the Dolphins, Dancler buried another three-pointer to ignite a 15-4 run to give the Dolphins their largest lead of the game. Owens followed with a lay-up, junior guard Zek Tekin (Istanbul, Turkey/Ozel Esenkent Okaynus Anadolu Lisesi/Siena) made a free throw, Koroma made a pair of lay-ups around one from Mosquera and then Dancler recorded a conventional three-point play with 5:38 left for a 55-41 lead.

UT Martin scored the next four points to get within 10 points, but could not get any closer.

Le Moyne's lead bounced between 10 and 13 points the remainder of the game and settled at 12 after a free throw by Grullon with 43 seconds left.

Le Moyne (2-4), which improved to 2-0 against teams from Tennessee (defeated Lincoln Memorial in December 1998 at Ashland Tournament), closes out play at the Island U Invitational on Saturday at 4:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM CT against host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.