Jan. 26, 2010

Box Score

Rindge, NH - The Adelphi University men's basketball team traveled to Rindge, New Hampshire for a Northeast-10 Conference contest with Franklin Pierce. The Panthers trailed late in the game, Casey Cosgrove hit one of two free throws, forcing overtime, but the Panthers fell in the extra period, 74-73. With the loss Adelphi falls to 14-7 overall and 7-7 in conference play, while the Ravens improve to 9-10 overall and 4-10 in the NE-10.

Richard Byrd led the Panthers with 21 points, while Casey Cosgrove chipped in 12 points and four assists. Chris Diasparra also had a strong game, scoring seven points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

Franklin Pierce controlled the early action, moving out to an 11 point lead, 26-15, with 10:04 on the clock, however Adelphi responded with quick, 7-0 burst that closed the gap to four, on a Richard Byrd bucket with 7:54 left. The Ravens would back to 11, but Adelphi was able to enter the half trailing by just five points, 35-30, courtesy of a Richard Harkins lay-up.

The Ravens pushed out to an 11 point lead again in the second half. But, Adelphi rallied back again, turning a 49-38 deficit into a 50-49 lead courtesy of a 12-0 run that was capped by a Byrd triple. The Ravens countered with a 15-5 to take a nine point lead, 64-55, with five minutes on the clock.

However, an Adelphi 8-0 run, that included two Cosgrove three-pointers, pulled the Panthers back within one point, 64-63, with 2:19 remaining in the game. The Ravens would lead by three, with 46 seconds left thanks to two made free throws, but Adelphi responded by making three of four down the stretch as Franklin Pierce missed three free throws in the final 27 seconds, sending the game into overtime.

In the extra period, the Ravens got hot early, taking advantage of a triple to take a 73-68 lead with just 1:28 to play. But, Adelphi battled back one more time, knotting the game at 73, thanks to a Rob Johnson three pointer and a Chris Diasparra jumper. However, in the final 12 seconds Adelphi could not get a shot off and the Ravens made one free throw to collect the 74-73 win.

The Panthers return to action on Saturday, January 30 when they play host to St. Michael's College at 3:30 pm.