New Britain, Conn. – Graduate student guard Nate McClure (Houston, Texas/Concordia Lutheran/Texas State/State Fair C.C./IUPUI) converted a fast-break lay-up with 1.2 seconds remaining to give the Le Moyne College men’s basketball team a 75-73 victory over Northeast Conference-leading Central Connecticut State University on Friday night at Detrick Gymnasium.
McClure finished the contest with 13 points, his highest total this season against a Division I opponent while adding eight rebounds and three steals in 39 minutes of action. Graduate student guard Kaiyem Cleary (Manchester, England/Redemption Christian Academy (NY)/Florida Southern/Florida Southwestern/Ball State) led the Dolphins in scoring for the fourth straight game and finished with 19 points, including 12 in the first half while adding eight rebounds, four blocks, three steals and three assists. With his performance, Cleary is now tied for the NEC lead in scoring average in conference play at 19.25. Graduate student forward Luke Sutherland (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee/Siena/Bryant) netted 14 points, including nine in the second half, and posted three rebounds and a pair of assists. Graduate student guard Mike DePersia (Cherry Hill, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial/IUPUI) tallied a season-best 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, while dishing out a game-high four assists. The Dolphins finished the game 13-of-31 from 3-point range and are now 6-2 on the season when making at least 11 trifectas.
Jordan Jones led the Blue Devils in the loss with 22 points, 19 of which came in the second half, seven rebounds and four assists. Tre Breland turned in 16 points, including 11 in the first half, and six rebounds. Kellen Amos posted 13 points, including 10 in the first half, and eight rebounds. Allan Jeanne-Rose, who entered the game as the leading scorer in the NEC in conference play at 23.3 points per game, was limited to seven points, his second-fewest of the season while adding eight rebounds.
Le Moyne’s first four baskets of the game were 3-pointers as the Dolphins jumped out to a 12-5 lead at the 14:33 mark. Senior guard Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va./Oak Hill Academy/Towson) started the streak and then Sutherland, Cleary and DePersia followed with long-range baskets.
The Blue Devils answered with the next seven points to knot the score at 12, with Breland scoring four of the points, but the Dolphins countered with their own seven-point run to go up 19-12 with 9:34 remaining in the half.
After Le Moyne’s lead bounced between four and six points over the next three minutes, Cleary hit a 3-pointer and freshman guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) converted a lay-up off a feed from Cleary to give the Dolphins a half-high nine-point lead with 5:34 to go in the half.
Central Connecticut State followed with nine straight points to tie the score for the third time in the half. Jayden Brown made two free throws and then Breland had a 3-pointer and a fast-break dunk around an Amos jumper.
Following two empty possessions by each team, McClure buried a 3-pointer and Cleary made a jumper to put the Dolphins back in front by five, 33-28, with 2:23 to go.
Amos scored the next four points and Breland made a lay-up with 13 seconds left to give the Blue Devils their first lead of the game at 34-33.
It was short-lived however as Cleary was fouled taking a 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left and he converted two of the three free throw attempts to give the Dolphins a 35-34 lead at the intermission.
After the teams split the opening 10 points of the second half, McClure had a conventional 3-point play and Cleary drained a 3-pointer to push Le Moyne’s lead to 46-39 with 16:58 remaining.
Following four points by Jones around a DePersia jumper, Cleary had a put-back dunk and McClure followed with a 3-pointer to give the Dolphins their largest lead of the game at 53-43 with 14:04 left.
After alternating baskets over the next two and one-half minutes, the Blue Devils. Jones made a jumper and two free throws, Amos had a dunk, Jones knocked down another jumper and then Joe Ostrowsky converted a fast-break lay-up off a steal to tie the score at 58 with 7:58 to play.
Following a 3-point play by DePersia to put the Dolphins back in front, Jones had a free throw and a jumper around a Le Moyne turnover and then TJ Holloway nailed a 3-pointer.
Le Moyne countered with two free throws from Cleary and a jumper from redshirt freshman forward Nate Fouts (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles/Kimball Union Academy) to regain the lead.
Jones put CCSU back up with a 3-pointer with 3:07 left, but Jones Jr. and DePersia drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Dolphins a 73-69 lead with 1:52 left.
Amos pulled his team within three with a free throw with 1:32 to go and Jones followed with a game-tying 3-pointer with 54 ticks left.
After Le Moyne had two missed shots with 30 seconds left, the Blue Devils collected the rebound and called timeout with 23 seconds left. Out of the timeout, Jones drove into the paint on the left side a put a lay-up toward the basket, but it fell short and Fouts grabbed the rebound. He fed the ball up the right side to DePersia, who threw a bounce pass inside the 3-point line to a cutting McClure, who laid the ball into the basket with 1.2 seconds left for the go-ahead points.
Following timeouts by CCSU and the Dolphins, the Blue Devils threw a pass the length of the court, but Cleary intercepted it and the time expired.
Le Moyne (7-11, 2-2 NEC) returns home to face Saint Francis University on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The Dolphins are 1-4 all-time against the Red Flash, including 1-2 in Syracuse, while the most recent matchup came during the 1957-58 season. The contest is part of the Le Moyne Athletic Department’s Winter ‘PhinsPhrenzy.