Press Release

LE MOYNE RALLIES, DOWNS PURPLE KNIGHT MEN, 78-63 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               FOR MORE INFORMATION February 18, 2004                                                                              Contact: Seth Cole Courtesy Le Moyne Sports Information                                                 Phone: (802) 654-2537   SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Senior Jason Coleman (Albany, N.Y./Bishop Maginn) led five players in double figures as Le Moyne topped Saint Michael’s 78-63 in a Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball game at Grant Court. The Dolphins (15-10, 13-8 Northeast-10) have won nine consecutive home games, while Saint Michael’s drops to 8-16 overall and 5-15 in the league.   Le Moyne has won 13 Northeast-10 Conference games for the first time since the 1997-98 season when the Dolphins went 14-6.   Coleman’s 17 points move him into 24th on the all-time scoring list. He passed current Cicero North Syracuse boy’s basketball coach John Haas ’93 with tonight’s effort. Senior point guard Rob Thorpe (Sherrill, N.Y./V-V-S) added 14 points, classmate Chris Henry (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) scored 12 and senior centers Brendan Bayly (Poestenkill, N.Y./Averill Park) and Brett Barnard (Frankfort, N.Y./Frankfort-Schulyer) chipped in 10 each. Thorpe added a game-high nine assists and Henry grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.   Le Moyne trailed 31-30 at the half, but outscored the visitors 48-32 over the final 20 minutes to earn the key conference victory. The Dolphins gained the lead for good at the 17:17 mark when Coleman finished off a feed from Thorpe for a 36-35 lead. A 9-2 run over the next 2:43 gave Le Moyne some breathing room, but the visitors responded with seven consecutive points over the next 1:50 to close the gap to 45-44 with 12:44 left.   Le Moyne extended the three-point lead into a 16-point bulge with a 16-4 spurt, culminating in a Matt Cooper (Fulton, N.Y./Fulton) layup off a dish from Barnard that made it 68-53 with 4:21 left. The Dolphins led by as many as 21 points in the final minutes.   The 50% (29/58) shooting effort marked the 11th time this season Le Moyne has made half or more of its shots from the field.   Senior forward Delbert Randall (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) netted 16 points to lead Saint Michael’s. Sophomore B.J. Robertson (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) and junior Eric Swiezynski (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) added 15 each. The Purple Knights, fighting for a spot in the 12-team Northeast-10 Conference playoffs, entered the game winners in four of their last five. The Purple Knights host their final game of the season and look to keep their playoff hopes alive on Saturday versus Saint Anselm College at 3:30 p.m. at the Ross Sports Center. Senior Ben Smith (Southport Island, Maine/Boothbay Region), who was held to just three points versus Le Moyne, needs 15 more points for 1,000 in his collegiate career. ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

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