March 4, 2010

Box Score

Manchester, N.H. - The Adelphi University men's basketball team surged out to a 15-point first half lead en route to a 78-66 victory over St. Anslem College in the semi-finals of the Northeast-10 Championships. The Panthers (22-10) advance to Saturday's finals where they will face #7 UMass-Lowell at 1:00 p.m.

Adelphi got assistance from its entire roster, with every player scoring in the game. Junior Richard Byrd led the team with 21 points, while senior Casey Cosgrove registered 19 points. Junior David Akinyooye added 12 points and 12 rebounds, with freshman Chris Ranglin contributing 11 points.

Byrd accounted for six Panther points in a 12-0 opening run. Saint Anslem got on board at 16:10, but Adelphi's rally continued. There was a lull in the action as both teams went cold for a three minute stretch at the midway point. Senior Steffon Farley's jumper at 8:10 sparked a 12-5 run to push the lead to 20 points, 37-17, with 3:10 left in the half. Adelphi held a comfortable 39-24 lead at intermission.

The Panthers shot 57.9 percent in the second half as they maintained a 20+ lead through most of that time. Adelphi also found success at the charity stripe, connecting on 16 of 18 attempts down the stretch as they went unchallenged to hold on for the win.

The Hawks were led by Greg Vetrano with 25 points, including 13-for-13 from the free throw line. Hakeem Williams and Thomas Baudinet had 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Tonight's win was not only entrance into the championship round but redemption for the Panthers, who fell to the Hawks, 78-69, earlier this season. Adelphi looks to continue is rally as they face UMass-Lowell for the second time this season when they meet in Saturday's final. Adelphi is 3-6 all-time versus UMass-Lowell, including a 54-51 loss on January 13. The Riverhawks advanced to Saturday's final after defeating #3 Merrimack College, 80-70.

The game will be aired live on Northeast.tv.