Box Score

Garden City, N.Y. – Earlier this evening, the men's basketball team played host to the Purple Knights of St. Michael's College in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Adelphi struggled to find their stroke early on while their counterparts were on point, putting the Panthers in a 14 point hole by the half. The struggles continued as Adelphi could not find their rhythm which resulted in an 83-69 loss. In defeat, the Panthers move to 10-3, 7-2 NE-10 while the Purple Knights' record stands at 5-8, 4-5 NE-10.
 
John Calarco, Bradley Simpson and Robert Johnson all tallied 13 points while Richard Harkins added eight. Cliff Brown chipped in with seven points, nine rebounds and six assists on the night.
 
The Panthers got off to a fair start, going ahead 9-5 in the opening 3:05, but St. Michael's was on point with their shot selection, hitting 7-12 attempts from the field through the first 10 minutes. At the halfway mark, a 20-20 tie would wind up being the last time the game would be close and the start of Adelphi's troubles.
 
In the first half, Adelphi shot just .387 from the field and was successful on just five of 14 tries from behind the arc while the visitors shot nearly .60 from the field and were an impressive 8-10 from the three line. In the final 8:50, St. Mike's drained five treys, enabling them to close out the half with a 24-9 and setting the Panthers back 44-30.
 
The first half struggles carried over into the second frame with the Panthers shooting just 40 percent from the field and a subpar .235 from three land. Within six minutes, the 14 point deficit grew to a 25 point hole as a jumper and free throw by Simpson were the only points Adelphi would see in the opening 7:36.
 
Down 60-40 with 10:10 left to play, the Panthers looked toward three point shots to get them back in the game, but were coming up short. Additionally, in unusual fashion, they struggled from the charity stripe, shooting just 8-13 over the course of the game.
 
They cut the lead back down to 14 with 3:45 left, but it was too little too late. It's as close as they would get as time ran out in favor of the Purple Knights.
 
Adelphi returns to the hardwood this Wednesday, January 11, when they host the River Hawks of UMass at the Center for Recreation and Sport. Tip-off is slated for a 7:30 pm start. Watch the game live at www.aupanthers.tv or follow live twitter feeds via @AUPanthers.