WORCESTER, Mass. - Sophomore Abdur-Rahman De Leon's (Roxbury, Mass./Saint Thomas More School) tie-breaking putback at the buzzer sent the Saint Michael's College men's basketball team past Assumption University, 79-77, on Saturday during Northeast 10 Conference play in Laska Gymnasium. The Purple Knights improved to 9-2 in their last 11 games while breaking a second-place tie in the NE10 with the Greyhounds.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (14-7, 8-3 NE10), Assumption (12-8, 7-4 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• De Leon, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4-for-5 field goals, 2-for-2 three-pointers
• First-year Quintin Floyd (Windsor, Conn./Choate Rosemary Hall), 24 points (career high), 3 assists, 2 steals, 9-for-15 field goals, 4-for-7 three-pointers
• Senior Zocko Littleton (Albany, Ga./Osborne/Rider), 13 points, 3-for-8 three-pointers
• Sophomore Greg Kenney (Williston Park, N.Y./The Frederick Gunn School/LIU), 12 points, 2 steals, 5-for-8 field goals
• Junior Latiek Briscoe Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y./Saint Francis Prep/Saint Edward's), 8 points, 4 assists, 4 steals
• First-year John Kelley (Plaistow, N.H./Kimball Union Academy), 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1-for-1 field goals, 4-for-4 free throws

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Senior Baril Mawo, 27 points, 9 rebounds (4 offensive), 2 assists, 2 steals, 9-for-10 field goals, 5-for-5 three-pointers, 4-for-4 free throws
• Junior Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 7-for-11 field goals
• Senior Daouda Dembele, 11 points, 6 rebounds
• Sophomore Zee McCown, 11 assists

GAME FACTS

• The Purple Knights held a decisive advantage in scoring from three-point range, going 11-for-25 (44.0%) from deep to the Greyhounds' 5-for-12 (41.7%).

THE ACTION

• Assumption led 8-2 at 17:47 of the opening half on Cunningham-Pemberton's lay-in for what proved to be the largest advantage for either team in the stanza. The visitors responded with a 9-2 run, with Floyd turning in a three-point play and Littleton and Kenney both burying three-pointers.
• The Greyhounds slowly extended their 37-34 halftime lead to double figures by the time Dembele's lay-up made it 49-39 at 15:54 of the second stanza, and their advantage swelled to 59-47 with 9:32 left.
• Only 2:34 later, the Purple Knights had cut the deficit to two points, with Floyd and Littleton hitting threes in a quick 12-2 run, and the visitors later used a 9-0 run that took only 59 seconds to take the lead (68-65) on Floyd's setback triple with 3:58 to go.
• After consecutive Assumption baskets provided the hosts the lead, Kenney's turnaround jumper at 2:10 put Saint Michael's back in front, and the visitors pushed their lead to as much as 77-71 when Briscoe knocked down two free throws with 32 seconds remaining.
• Sophomore Lenny Tangishaka was fouled shooting a three 10 seconds later and hit a trio of freebies, and McCown earned a steal off of a jump ball with 18 ticks left. With 10 seconds remaining, Mawo buried the game-tying three from in front of the Assumption bench.
• The Purple Knights came down and missed a winning three just before the buzzer, but De Leon got inside position on his man for the ensuing rebound and put the second chance high off the glass, with the ball falling through the net as the horn sounded.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Wednesday vs. Southern New Hampshire University, 7:30 p.m.