Easton, Pa. - The Lafayette men's basketball team opened the second annual Lafayette Classic against Le Moyne, falling 76-63, on Friday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center.

Lafayette's top performances came through Caleb Williams and Andrew Phillips, who split 36 points and contributed a combined eight assists, nine 3-pointers and 12 rebounds. On the night, the Leopards were held to just 35 percent from the floor.

In the early going, things were tied 13-13 at the 11-minute mark. Phillips paced five Leopards in scoring with four points.

Despite a 15-13 Le Moyne stretch over the following six minutes, the Leopards always kept within two points, trailing 28-26 by 5:34. Phillips secured back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to stay in contention.

The Dolphins went up five at 31-26 (4:15), before the squad was halted by another set of shots beyond the arc by Phillips and Williams. Mark Butler added a layup and-one to steal a 35-33 lead with 1:37 on the clock.  

Le Moyne's Jakai Sanders made a turnaround jumper during the final possession of the half, backing a 38-38 tie at the break.

Freshman Shareef Jackson spearheaded the start of the second period, tallying six points in three minutes to push Lafayette out to a 49-43 advantage (15:49).

A 3-pointer preceded Williams' trio of foul shots, putting the Leopards in front by six, 56-50, at the 10-minute mark.

The Dolphins retaliated using a 13-2 run by 5:18, retaking the lead, 63-58. Trent Mosquera and Shilo Jackson each added four points in the stretch.

First-year Leopard Christian Humphrey-Rembert knocked down a shot beyond the arc to get as close as 69-63 at the three-minute mark.

Mosquera helped the Dolphins to a 7-0 spurt to end the game on top, 76-63.

In total, Jackson led the opponents to a 49 percent outing on the floor with a double-double (21 points, 15 rebounds). He hit 9-of-13 from field-goal range. Le Moyne out-rebounded the Maroon and White 41-29. 

The Leopards host Ball State on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Prior to Lafayette's game, Kirby Sports Cehter will host a Le Moyne- Monmouth matchup at 2 p.m.


For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.