Feb. 25, 2004

Box Score

Garden City, N.Y. - Adelphi got two buckets in the last 40 seconds from senior Thomas McCormack (Breezy Point, N.Y.) on senior night to give the Panthers a 60-59 victory over Bridgeport. McCormack finished the game with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds. With the win Adelphi raises their overall record to 14-12 and their conference mark to 12-11, while Bridgeport stumbles to 19-7 overall and 17-6 in NYCAC play.

There were 11 ties and 21 lead changes during the course of the game; in the first half neither team was able to extend their advantage past four. Adelphi took a four point lead on a made free throw by Will Smith (Manasquan, N.J.). But Bridgeport closed the first half on a 6-0 run to take a two point lead in to halftime, 25-23.

Bridgeport opened the second half with a three-pointer from Abdul Smith (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to extend their advantage to five. Adelphi fought back, eventually tying the game at 28 with 17:00 minutes to play on a jumper by Ben Kenyon (Hillside, N.J.).

Bridgeport responded with another surge, outscoring Adelphi 15-7 over the next eight minutes to take an eight point lead. But Adelphi would not back down and clawed their way back to tie the game at 53, with 2:35 to play on a deep three-pointer by McCormack.

Bridgeport's Laverne Goulbourne (Brooklyn, N.Y.) responded with a jumper of his own to put the Purple Knights up two, 55-53 with 2:10 to play. Jamaal Wagner (Jamaica, N.Y.) answered right back, hitting a jumper and converting the front end of a one-and-one to give Adelphi their first lead since the 5:15 mark of the first half.

Telron Spell (Stamford, C.T.) hit a big jumper with 1:07 remaining to put Bridgeport back on top, 57-56. Then McCormack took over, responding with a jumper of his own to regain the lead for Adelphi. Spell hit two free throws to briefly retake the lead, before McCormack drove from the left wing to convert a contested lay-up and give the Panthers a 60-59 lead. McCormack then forced a turnover by Smith to seal the Panthers 60-59 win. Wagner was the high man for Adelphi with 18 points, he also grabbed five rebounds. Spell led the way for Bridgeport, scoring 17 points and collecting eight rebounds. Gordon James chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds for Bridgeport.

The Panthers close out the regular season Saturday, February 28th when they travel to Dowling College for a 3:30 pm match-up.