Syracuse, N.Y. – Senior guard Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va./Oak Hill Academy/Towson) scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Le Moyne College men's basketball team to a 70-56 victory over Wagner College in Northeast Conference action on Thursday night at Ted Grant Court.

With the victory, the Dolphins move to 8-7 in league play and can finish as either the fourth or fifth seed in next week's NEC Tournament depending on their result against Saint Francis on Saturday (4:00 p.m. start). With a win over the Red Flash, the Dolphins will be the fourth seed, while they would be the fifth seed with a loss. The Dolphins can tie Sacred Heart for third place in the standings with a win Saturday and a Sacred Heart loss to Merrimack, but they lose the tiebreaker due to the Pioneers sweeping the season series.

Jones Jr. drained a career-best five three-pointers en route to his career-high point total, 14 of which came in the second half, while adding four rebounds and two assists. Graduate student forward Luke Sutherland (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee/Siena/Bryant) recorded 14 points, nine of which came in the second half, while dishing out a game-high four assists. Graduate student guard Kaiyem Cleary (Manchester, England/Redemption Christian Academy (NY)/Florida Southern/Florida Southwestern/Ball State) was the third Dolphin in double figures with 12 points, while adding nine rebounds.

Melvin Council Jr. led the Seahawks in the loss with 21 points, including 13 in the second half, and five rebounds. Julian Brown posted 10 second-half points and also grabbed five rebounds.

After the teams went back and forth over the opening eight minutes of the game, during which time the lead changed sides four times, the Dolphins went on a 9-2 run to open up a 24-16 lead and force a Wagner timeout with 8:32 left in the half. Graduate student guard Mike DePersia (Cherry Hill, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial/IUPUI) and Sutherland each scored five points in the opening eight minutes, while redshirt freshman forward Nate Fouts (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles/Kimball Union Academy) had five points and an assist in the 9-2 run.

The Seahawks were able to cut their deficit to 28-24 with 2:11 left, but the Dolphins closed out the half with the final four points to take a 32-24 lead into halftime. Jones Jr. had a lay-up off a feed from Cleary, who followed with a jumper off a pass from Sutherland.

After Wagner scored the first two points of the second half, the Dolphins rattled off 10 consecutive points to force a Wagner timeout with 16:45 left. Jones Jr. scored in the paint and then hit a three-pointer in transition, Sutherland had a dunk and ensuing free throw and then graduate student guard Nate McClure (Houston, Texas/Concordia Lutheran/Texas State/State Fair C.C./IUPUI) had a fast-break dunk off a steal for a 42-26 advantage.

Wagner answered with 13 of the next 18 points to get within eight with 9:21 remaining in the game. Brown drained a pair of three-pointers and made a free throw around a Sutherland lay-up to get the Seahawk within 11. After Jones Jr. made a three-pointer, Council Jr. and Seck Zongo made fast-break baskets in the paint and then Tyje Kelton had a put-back lay-up to make it 47-39.

Le Moyne countered with 15 of the next 19 points to take its largest lead of the game. Cleary scored the first five points with a jumper and ensuing free throw and a fast-break dunk, Jones Jr. drained a three-pointer, Cleary buried a three-pointer from the left corner and then converted two free throws and Sutherland capped the jaunt with a baseline dunk with 5:01 left for a 62-43 lead.

The Seahawks, specifically Council Jr., scored nine of the next 12 points to get within 13 with 2:33 left, but could not get any closer.

Jones Jr. drilled a three-pointer from the right corner to conclude Le Moyne's scoring in the contest, while Zongo had a conventional three-point play and Brown made one free throw to end the game's scoring.