Garden City N.Y. – The Adelphi men's basketball team opened Northeast-10 conference play against Southern Connecticut State at the Center for Recreation and Sport on Wednesday night. The Panthers battled tough against the team picked to finish first in the Southwest Division in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, but ultimately fell by 92-82 score.

Adelphi (0-2, 0-1 NE-10) had four players in double figures, and were led by Justin Jenkins and Anthony Libroria who totaled 18 points each. Ryan DeNicola tallied a double-double behind 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Duane Morgan chipped in 10 total points. Southern Connecticut (3-0, 1-0 NE-10) had all five starters in double digits, with leading scorer Michael Mallory totaling 24.

Libroria put Adelphi on the board with a three-pointer six minutes into the first half. The Owls and the Panthers were playing point for point before Mallory successfully shot a trey for the Owls to take the lead 14-10 at 16:53. The visitors increased the score to 18-10 and continued to challenge the Brown and Gold on defense. As the minutes ticked by, however, the Panthers put a dent in the board and closed the gap with a 7-2 run to make the score 20-17.

Southern Connecticut then embarked on a 10-4 run to take their biggest lead of the half at 7:19. From there, DeNicola scored five points, followed by a successful jump shot made by Jenkins to cut the Owl lead to three. From there, the Owls got hot from the field and exploded for a 16-point lead at 50-34 with 1:38 left in the first half. The visitors maintained this strong lead and ended the first half with a Deshawn Murphy jumper to cap the scoring at 52-38.

Adelphi opened the second half with an 8-3 stretch to close the score at 55-46, before the Owls took control with a Luke Huston three at 17:30. Southern Connecticut continued their lead to the tune of a 10-6 run for 3 minutes at 68-54.

Down by 10 at the 10 minute mark, the Panthers took advantage of several fouls and free throw opportunities to cut into the Owls' lead and make it a one possession game. On the ensuing possession, DeNicola fired a three point shot to tie the score 74-74. After going point for point, a layup for Libroria tied things at 78-78, but the Panthers would never take the lead. The Owls score nine unanswered points to reclaim their advantage, and with Adelphi forced to foul down the stretch, the visitors took the opportunities and claimed a 92-82 win.

The Panthers will be back to action on Saturday, November 22 at American International College in Springfield, Mass. with tipoff scheduled for 3:30 pm.