The ‘Phins put up a good fight in their Northeast-10 conference tournament semifinal against the top-seeded Southern Connecticut State Owls. Every member of the team who played in the game contributed positively and effectively on the defensive side of the ball.
When it came to offense, however, the boards were stacked in great succession by graduate student senior Jim Janson. A few quick stats for Janson’s first half performance show how effective he really proved to be against the Owls. First, Janson started the game with three dunks in a seven-minute span. Janson also had ten of Le Moyne’s first sixteen points, all within the first eight minutes of the game.
Without much flare from usual offensive players such as senior guard Nate Champion or sophomore forward Connor Mahoney in the first half, they all pulled together defensively as a solid unit in order to go into halftime trailing by a slim margin of 27-25.
Looking back at the first half, it would be safe to say that Janson really proved his near seven-foot frame with a great offensive performance by scoring the majority of LeMoyne’s baskets.
The ‘Phins were slow to start the second half, as it took Mahoney five minutes to get on the board again. Sophomore guard Qwadere Lovell did not hit his first basket of the game until about twelve minutes into the second half.
Janson had an extremely strong night especially on the free-throw line, shooting his personal best at the line, making all seven of his free throws.
The Owls put up a solid fight throughout the entirety of the game, with a very strong offensive performance from many of their players.
With forty-one seconds left in this game, junior forward Nate Gause hit a three-point shot to bring Le Moyne within two points of tying. Unfortunately, the ‘Phins were not able to keep it together offensively and let the lead stand for the Owls, who finished the game down the stretch to win 62-55.
Fortunately for the ‘Phins, their season will not end on a poor note, as they were selected for the NCAA tournament for the 11th time in program history on Sunday night. Le Moyne earned the sixth seed in the East Regional where they will take on Northeast-10 foe Saint Anselm on Saturday Mar. 15th at noon in New Haven, CT. This will be Le Moyne’s first regional tournament since the 1997 season. Stay tuned to lemoynedolphins.com for more information on how to watch the game online and for all up to date information regarding all Dolphin athletics.
