Manchester, N.H. (December 1) -- The men's basketball team dropped an 86-73 final to Le Moyne on Saturday afternoon at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium. The loss drops the Hawks to 2-3, 2-2 Northeast-10, while the win improves the Dolphins to 4-1, 3-1 in league play.

The Hawks jumped out to an early 9-6 lead thanks to two three pointers from Chris Vetrano (Andover, Mass.) in the early minutes of the game. The Hawks continued to hold the lead through into the end of the half when Dan Crowell's (Victor, N.Y.) jumper gave the Dolphins the 33-32 edge they held at the half.

The Dolphins continued to pull away to start the second half, with an 8-0 run, giving the Dolphins a 58-47 lead. Branimir Zeko (Mississauga, Ontario) made a basket and converted on the pursuing foul shot to bring the Hawks within eight, while Giovanni Carenza (East Hanover, N.J.) made a jumper to pull the Hawks within six at 63-57. The Hawks got back to within five before the Dolphins pulled away, winning the contest 86-73.

Leading the scoring for the Hawks were John Tello (Ridgefield Park, N.J.) with 16 points and Chris Vetrano with 14 points. John Mariano (Naugatuck, Conn.) had a good showing off the bench, with 10 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.

The Dolphins' Laurence Ekperigen (Corlandt Manor, N.Y.) led all scoring with 28 points while also adding an impressive 17 rebounds. Jason Holmes (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) had 22 points and six assists for the Dolphins.

The Hawks return to the court Tuesday night, hosting cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire at 7:30 at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium. The last meeting between these two teams resulted in a 78-52 win in favor of the Hawks.