Press Release

PURPLE KNIGHTS SWEEP LE MOYNE IN CONFERENCE DOUBLEHEADER SMC men win double-overtime thriller, 86-84; SMC women edge Dolphins, 60-58 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               FOR MORE INFORMATION February 5, 2005                                                                                 Contact: Seth Cole                                                                                                          Phone: (802) 654-2537 COLCHESTER, Vt. – Clutch play late helped Saint Michael’s College record a pair of two-point victories versus Le Moyne College in Northeast-10 Conference basketball action on Saturday at the Ross Sports Center. In the opener, the Saint Michael’s women edged Le Moyne, 60-58, and in the nightcap, the Purple Knight men pulled out an 86-84, double-overtime win versus the Dolphins. In the women’s contest, junior Brigid Hegarty’s (North Andover, Mass./Central Catholic) free throw with 38 seconds remaining gave the Purple Knights the lead for good as Saint Michael’s (6-15, 3-14 NE-10) won its second straight home game. Sophomore Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) led the Purple Knights with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Hegarty chipped in 13 points off of the bench, connecting for four 3-pointers. Sophomore Dani Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) added nine points and nine boards as the Purple Knights offset 35 percent shooting by connecting on eight 3-pointers. For the Dolphins, freshman Kim Wagoner (Cicero, N.Y.) led all scorers with 22 points, hitting on 7-of-10 shots from the field. Senior Jennifer Feher (Depew, N.Y.) added 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, but made just 2-of-15 shots from the floor, as Le Moyne (10-12, 6-11) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. Saint Michael’s dominated early, as the hosts raced out to a 23-8 lead 12 minutes into the contest. Le Moyne clamped down defensively for the remainder of the half, and cut its deficit to 28-20 at intermission. Dani Rayner’s seven points and six rebounds led everyone in the opening 20 minutes, as the Purple Knights held the Dolphins to just 24 percent shooting in the frame. In the second stanza, the Purple Knights stretched their lead to 36-22 with 16:36 to play, but the visitors then went on a 21-6 run to take a 43-42 lead with 9:35 to go. Three ties and five lead changes later, Hegarty’s free throw gave Saint Michael’s its final lead. Jevy Rayner added another free throw with nine seconds remaining to push the lead to 60-58, and on the final possession, Feher was fouled while driving to the hoop with 0.6 seconds on the clock. Feher, however, missed her first free throw, and the Dolphins could not regain possession following an intentional miss of the second free throw. In the men’s game, freshman Brian Monahan’s (Kinderhook, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) lay-up off of a pass from classmate James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) with 0.5 seconds left in the second overtime helped Saint Michael’s (6-16, 3-14) snap a season-high eight-game losing skid. Sorrentine led all players with 25 points in 50 minutes of action, connecting on 7-of-13 3-pointers, while junior Mike Keating (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) added 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds off of the bench. Senior Eric Swiezynski (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) chipped in 13 points in his 100th game as a Purple Knight, junior BJ Robertson (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) notched 12 points and a career-best eight assists, and Monahan tallied 11 points and seven boards. For the Dolphins, freshman Trent Morgan (Maple Heights, Ohio) led the way with 18 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and six steals while playing all 50 minutes. Junior Corey Smith (Gouverneur, N.Y.) and sophomore Matt Cooper (Fulton, N.Y.) also netted 18 points, while freshman Jason Holmes (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) notched 14 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out for Le Moyne (8-14, 6-11). In a tightly-played contest throughout, Le Moyne took the game’s largest lead, 33-22, late in the first half. The Purple Knights, however, closed the period on a 7-0 run, cutting their deficit to 33-29 at intermission. In a second half that featured 11 lead changes and two ties, a jumper by Cooper with 33 seconds left in regulation evened the score at 64-all. Saint Michael’s held the ball for the last shot, but Swiezynski misfired on a 3-pointer from the left side in the waning seconds, sending the game into overtime. In the first extra period, Saint Michael’s took a four-point lead, but the visitors went on a 9-2 run to lead, 74-71, with under a minute to go. With 34 seconds left, Keating missed the front end of a 1-on-1, but Robertson grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked the ball to Keating for a game-tying 3-pointer. Following a Le Moyne turnover, Saint Michael’s again held for the last shot, with Keating missing a fade-away jumper at the buzzer. In the second overtime, the Purple Knights appeared to seal the win with 34 seconds left, as a Monahan free throw gave the hosts an 82-78 lead. However, consecutive 3-pointers by Smith and senior Darko Sedlar (Zagreb, Croatia) evened the score at 84-all with eight ticks on the clock. Sorrentine took the inbounds pass following Sedlar’s trifecta, rushed the length of the court, and found an open Monahan underneath the hoop for the game-winner. Both teams return to action on Tuesday. Le Moyne hosts conference-foe Bryant University, while Saint Michael’s hosts league-rival Assumption College, with the women tipping things off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men at 7:30 p.m. Women's box score Men's box score                                                      ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002