Box Score

North Andover, Mass. – The men's basketball team returned from the holiday break to open their first game of the new year with a conference matchup against the Warriors of Merrimack College. After being down by five at the half, the Panthers bounced back with a strong second half on .500 shooting from the field while holding the hosts to just nine field goals, and enabling them to pull away with a 64-55 victory. With the win, the Panthers move to 10-2 overall, and remain atop the conference standings with a 7-1 NE-10 record while Merrimack falls to 6-6, 3-5 NE-10.

The Panthers had three players in double digit scoring with Bradley Simpson leading the way with 18 points on an efficient 6-7 shooting performance from the field to compliment going 6-8 from the charity stripe. Robert Johnson returned from a two game absence with a 15 point night while teammate Cliff Brown posted 11 points on 5-10 shooting from the field.

The Panthers came out flat and fell behind 11-2 within the first five minutes of the game. A short lived 6-0 run comprised of a pair of free throws by Chris Ranglin and back to back three balls by Johnson and Travis Jordan cut the deficit to three. However, Merrimack quickly took control of the game, building their lead to 10 on two occasions as they impressed from the field, connecting on just over half of their attempts. Brown sunk trey as time expired in the first half to pull his team within five at the intermission.

Adelphi came to life in the second frame. One of Richard Harkin's eight assists came early in the half on a feed to Johnson who was successful on a converted three point play after being fouled on a layup to knot the game at 35 a piece with the game clock reading 17:30. It sparked a 16-2 run over the ensuing 4:54 which gave the Panthers enough momentum to run away from their competitors.

An Aaron Strothers layup with just over six minutes left made it a seven point game, but another eight unanswered Adelphi points created a 15 point buffer with just 3:41 left to play. In the final minutes, Simpson and Ranglin iced the game, each making two free throws to seal the deal as time ran out in favor of Adelphi.

The Panthers continued to shoot well from the free throw line, sinking 15 of 17 from the line. Merrimack out-rebounded Adelphi by a 38-26 margin.

Adelphi returns to the hardwood this Saturday, January 7, when they host the Purple Knights of St. Michael's College at the Center for Recreation and Sport. Tip-off is slated for a 3:30 pm start. Watch the game live at www.aupanthers.tv or follow live twitter feeds via @AUPanthers.