LOWELL, MA (Feb. 9, 2008) – Senior F Mike Gore (Wilmington, MA) scored 19 points – including 17 in the second half – as UMass Lowell defeated Le Moyne College, 59-53, Saturday afternoon in a Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball clash at the Costello Athletic Center.

With the win, UML improved to 9-12 overall and 6-10 in the conference entering Monday night’s game at Saint Anselm (7:00). Le Moyne slipped to 12-12 overall and 10-9 in the Conference and hosts Saint Anselm Saturday (3:00).

Gore converted 7 of 13 field goal attempts and all four of his free throws while grabbing six rebounds. Senior G Dashon Harper (Columbus, OH) added 10 points and five steals.

UM also received key contributions from sophomore G Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH), who chipped in nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals; and sophomore C Ali Kanaan (Montreal, QUE), who had six points, six rebounds and four assists.

Senior G Jason Holmes (Mamaroneck, NY) led the Dolphins with 24 points and seven rebounds while shooting 8 for 14 from the field. Senior C Dan Cromwell (Victor, NY) added 11 points, eight rebounds and four steals.

UML forced the Dolphins into 27 turnovers while committing 23, which resulted in a 29-23 advantage in points off miscues. Le Moyne outscored UML 15-9 on second chance points, the result of a 16-9 edge on offensive rebounds.

UML also benefited from early foul trouble to Le Moyne sophomore forward Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, NY), who averages 18.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, but sat all but two minutes in the first half. Ekperigin drew two fouls in the opening 1:45, his third with 12:34 left in the half and his fourth 14 seconds into the second half which limited him to only 12 minutes of action.

Nevertheless, the Dolphins led 34-31 with 13:07 left to play, but the River Hawks used a 21-3 run to establish a 52-37 cushion with 4:41 remaining in the game. Gore scored 13 of his points in the run.

Le Moyne roared back, however, with a 14-2 spurt to cut the lead to 54-51 with 43 seconds left to play behind nine points from Holmes.

Carr drained a 3-point shot with 11 seconds left to give UML a 57-51 lead, and following a layup by Ekperigin, senior G Jamael Lynch (Brooklyn, NY) meshed a pair of free throws with one second left.