March 10, 2007

Box Score

Waltham, Mass. - The Adelphi University men's basketball team fell to Bryant College, 77-55, in the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional quarterfinals this afternoon at Bentley College. The Panthers finish the season 18-13 while the Bulldogs (20-10) move on to tomorrow's semifinals.

Adelphi was led by senior Mike Mosby with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Donnell Cummings added 10 points and six boards.

The Panthers came out strong to start the first half to take an early 22-9 lead. Five of Adelphi's first eight field goals came from beyond the arc, including two from senior Samuel Jenkins. The Panthers maintained a double digit lead until the 8:11 mark when the Bulldogs rallied on a 19-4 run to close to within one, 34-33, with 2:03 remaining. Adelphi held a slim 36-33 margin at the end of the half.

The second half was a different game for Adelphi as they went cold from the field, connecting on a mere 3-of 29. In contrast, Bryant continued its comeback to take the lead for good on a three-pointer from Chris Burns at 16:34. Despite being held scoreless for the first seven minutes of play, the Panthers only found themselves down by seven points, 49-42, at 13:38. It would be another two minutes before Adelphi scored again, as Cummings accounted for just the second basket of the half at 11:07. The Bulldogs' defense kept the Panthers from sustaining a rally as their offense pushed the deficit to 18 points, 71-53, with 2:39 left in the contest. Adelphi was never able to recover as Bryant cruised to victory, 77-55.

Three Byrant players accounted for the bulk of team's points, led by Orlando Baeza, who registered a career-high 25 points off the bench. Jon Ezeokoli tallied 17 of his 23 points in the first half, while grabbing 11 boards. Burns chipped in 20 points.

This was the third meeting between Adelphi and Bryant, all coming in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs now lead the series, 3-0. Bryant will face St. Rose in the semifinals tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.