Feb. 26, 2011

Box Score

Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University men's basketball team hosted #10 Southern Connecticut State University in Northeast-10 first round playoff action on Saturday, February 26. The Panthers built double digit leads in each half, before settling on nine points as the final margin of victory, 79-70. With the win Adelphi improves to 17-10 overall, while SCSU closes out their season at 12-15.

Richard Byrd led all players with a game-high 24 points, including 18 in the second half, while Chris Ranglin provided 17 points, 15 coming in the first frame to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Richard Harkins also reached double figures with 10 points and had four assists and three rebounds, while John Calarco added nine points and five rebounds and Rob Johnson had nine points and six boards.

Adelphi blitzed the Owls in the opening five minutes, running out to a 12-0 lead. SCSU pulled within seven, 14-7 on a Greg Langston jumper, but Calarco hit one of two free throws, starting a 10-0 run that gave the Panthers their biggest lead of the first half, 26-7 with 8:41 to play.

However, the Owls started to find an offensive flow, pulling to within 12 points on three occasions during the next eight minutes, including courtesy of a Kieran Ramsey jumper with 49 seconds left, 42-30, which is how the game would enter the intermission.

The SCSU offense kept clicking as the second half opened, scoring 10 points, while the Owl defense held Adelphi to just three points in the first 8:39 of the second stanza, making it a five point game, 45-40. Adelphi answered with authority, scoring 17 unanswered points on a run that was kick started by a Bradley Simpson lay-up and a Harkins three that forced the Owls to call a time out.

The Owls had one last run in them, with the score 62-40 and 6:05 on the clock, SCSU would cut the Panther bulge to just 10, 71-61 with 1:45 left before finally falling 79-70.

With the win Adelphi moves on to the NE-10 quarterfinals, taking on #2 AIC on Monday, February 28 at 7:00 pm in Springfield, Massachusetts.