March 5, 2006

Box Score

Brookville, N.Y. - Aaron Cummings (Bay Shore, N.Y.) converted a three-point play, sandwiched between two Kimani Blaize (Brooklyn, N.Y.) three-pointers to put the top seeded Panthers ahead by 10 points, 69-59, with 1:26 to play and secure the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) tournament title for Adelphi. With the 74-62 win over #2 seed Bridgeport, Adelphi received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament.

The NYCAC tournament title is the fifth for Adelphi, who also won the regular season title, giving the Panthers both the conference regular season and tournament championships. The last time Adelphi accomplished that feat was during the 2000-2001 season. With the win Adelphi runs their region best win streak to 18 games and improve to 26-4 overall. The Purple Knights have dropped just two of their last 20 games, both to Adelphi, and fall to 23-10 with the loss.

Both teams came out of the gate slow, with neither team getting on the board until the 17:58 mark. However, the Panthers heated up first, using a 7-0 run, that included five points from Blaize, to take an early 7-0, lead with 16:23 remaining. Adelphi continued to roll, getting a three-pointer from Blaize with 14:27 remaining to push their advantage to eight points, 10-2.

Bridgeport responded with a 9-3 run, getting four points from Anthony Green (Memphis, TN), to cut the Adelphi lead to just two, 13-11, with 11:28 to play in the first half. The Panthers answered right back with a 17-6 run over the next 8:10 to pull out to a 13 point lead, 30-17, with 3:19 showing on the clock.

The Purple Knights came right back again, holding Adelphi to just three points over the final three minutes of the half, while scoring ten points to enter the locker room trailing by just six, 33-27.

The second half started hot, with Bridgeport immediately cutting the Panther lead to just two, 33-31, on two quick buckets from Kevin Jeffreys (Bridgeport, CT). With the score 36-34, a Mike Mosby (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) tip-in sparked the Panthers to a 10-0, increasing the Adelphi edge to 12 points, 46-34, with 14:33 left to play.

For a third time the Purple Knights answered when a Mark Price (Buffalo, N.Y.) lay-up started a 17-3 run, that ended with a Jeffrey's three-pointer which gave Bridgeport a slim 51-49 lead. Again, the Panthers had an answer, reeling off 11 unanswered points to retake the lead, 60-51, with 4:35 remaining.

Bridgeport crept back into the game for a fourth time, pulling to within three points, 60-57, on another Jeffreys bucket with 3:44 on the clock. But, Blaize and Cummings put the game out of reach, going on a 10-2 run themselves to give the Panthers a 69-59 cushion and secure the win.

Jeffreys led Bridgeport with 20 points and seven rebounds, while teammate Mike Rosario (Bridgeport, CT) chipped in nine points and pulled down 11 Adelphi misses.

Blaize led the Panthers with 20 points and three rebounds, while Cummings filled up the stat sheet, scoring 13 points, handing out 10 assists, pulling down seven rebounds and collecting four steals. Jamaal Wagner (Jamaica, N.Y.) added nine points and five rebounds for the Panthers.

The 2006 NYCAC All-Tournament team was made up of Jeffreys and Rosario from Bridgeport, Adelphi's Wagner and Cummings and Queens' Bradd Wierzbicki. Blaize was named 2006 NYCAC Tournament MVP.

The NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament brackets will be available on www.ncaasports.com. starting tonight at 11:00 pm.