March 14, 2003

Box Score

Lowell, Mass. - The Adelphi men's basketball suffered a tough 64-56 season-ending loss to the University of Bridgeport in the first round of the NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament at UMass-Lowell this Friday afternoon. The Panthers finish their season 22-9 overall. The Purple Knights improve to 23-7 and face the winner of the UMass-Lowell/St. Rose contest tomorrow night.

Senior Wayne Nelson was the only Panther in double figures, collecting a game-high 26 points. Junior Thomas McCormack pulled down 11 rebounds along with seven points.

The Panthers, seeded fourth in the tournament, trailed by as much as 11 points in the first half. Marred by turnovers, Adelphi committed 11 of its 19 in the first half alone. Down 27-16, senior Sherman Whittenburg drained his only three-pointer of the contest at 4:56, spurring a 17-4 run. After a slow start, the Panthers improved to shoot 40.7 percent in the half.

The Purple Knights held the Panthers scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half. Freshman Jamaal Wagner connected on two of his four game points to keep Adelphi within two points, 37-35. Bridgeport outscored Adelphi 10-6 to lead 47-41 with 9:52 remaining. AU rallied back on an 8-3 run, to cut the deficit to one, 50-49, at 5:28. This would prove to be the closest the team would come as Bridgeport outscored the Panthers 12-7 to claim the victory.

Jermaine Clark led a balanced Bridgeport attack with 19 points. Bryan Evans had 15 points and five steals.

Tonight's loss marked the end of Adelphi's 11 game win streak as well as an end to a impressive first season for head coach James Cosgrove. The team captured its ninth straight NCAA championship bid and its fourth NYCAC Championship in school history.