Purple Knights News

December 9, 2006

Basketball Sweeps NE-10 Doubleheader With Le Moyne


COLCHESTER, Vt. ? Saint Michael's College swept a Northeast-10 Conference basketball doubleheader with Le Moyne College on Saturday at the Ross Sports Center. In the opener, the Purple Knight men held off the Dolphins, 75-73, and in the nightcap, the Saint Michael's women bested Le Moyne, 56-49.

In the first game, senior Brendan Mullins (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) tallied a game-high 25 points and six assists, including a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left that gave the Saint Michael's men (6-2, 5-1 NE-10) the lead for good, as the Purple Knights rallied for the win. Also for the Purple Knights, senior Chris Cayole (Burlington, Vt./Rice Memorial) added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, while juniors James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) and Brian Monahan (Kinderhook, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) netted 14 and 13 points, respectively. Saint Michael's buried 10-of-24 3-pointers, including 7-of-13 in the second half, to improve to 4-1 at home this season.

For Le Moyne (3-5, 2-4 NE-10), senior Matt Cooper (Fulton, N.Y.) tallied 22 points, hitting 7-of-10 field goal attempts and all eight free throws. Junior Jason Holmes (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) contributed 19 points and nine rebounds, while classmate Jonathan Joshua (Inglewood, Calif.) posted 12 points. The Dolphins made just 14-of-22 free throws, including 5-of-11 in the second half, in falling to 0-3 on the road this season.

Le Moyne scored the first 10 points of the game, but Saint Michael's rebounded quickly to take a 17-16 lead midway through the first half. The contest remained nip-and-tuck for the final 30 minutes, as neither team led by more than five points for the remainder of the contest. After Mullins' 3-pointer gave Saint Michael's a 72-70 lead, the Dolphins pulled to within one on a free throw, and Sorrentine pushed the lead up to 74-71 with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left. Le Moyne couldn't get off a potential game-tying 3-pointer, as a Sorrentine steal with five seconds to go, followed by a free throw from sophomore Mike Iola (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional), clinched the win for the Purple Knights.

In the women's contest, senior Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) tallied a game-high 16 points and 12 rebounds to help Saint Michael's (5-3, 3-3 NE-10) snap a two-game losing skid. Junior Adrienne Carpenter (Princeton, Mass./Wachusett Regional) added 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, while freshman Alexis Keller (Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan) chipped in with seven points in just eight minutes off the bench. Saint Michael's held the Dolphins to just 4-of-24 shooting from the field in the second half to earn the victory.

For Le Moyne (4-5, 2-4 NE-10), sophomore Katie Dunn (Whippany, N.J./Morris Catholic), the younger sister of Saint Michael's junior Allison Dunn, netted a team-high 14 points, including 9-of-9 from the foul line. Senior Lindsay Carr (Bronx, N.Y.) and junior Kim Wagoner (Cicero, N.Y.) added 13 points apiece for the Dolphins, who had four of their starters foul out in a contest that featured 46 fouls, 23 for each squad.

Saint Michael's led 30-28 at halftime, and never trailed in the second half. The Purple Knights never led by more than seven points, however, as the Dolphins stayed close thanks to 12-of-17 free throw shooting after intermission. The Purple Knights were able to seal the victory by draining 5-of-6 free throws in the final 40 seconds, while three Dolphins fouled out in the final minute of play.

Saint Michael's returns to action on Sunday, December 17, as the Purple Knights visit league-rival Bentley College (women at 1:30 p.m., men at 3:30 p.m.). The Purple Knights return home to host the College of Saint Rose on Wednesday, December 20 (women at 5:30 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.). Le Moyne hosts Pace University on Saturday, December 16 (women at 5:30 p.m., men 7:30 p.m.).

##PURPLEKNIGHTS###