Syracuse, NY – The first contest of 2015 nearly went to the Adelphi University men's basketball team, however, the host Le Moyne Dolphins held on for a 67-65 Northeast-10 Conference win this afternoon.

Freshman Michael Coffey hit five 3-pointers on the way to 18 points for the Panthers (4-8/1-5 NE-10) while junior Anthony Libroia and Ryan DeNicola each added 12 points. Libroia also contributed seven assists along with a career-high of five steals.

The Dolphins (10-3/5-2 NE-10) were led by 17 points and nine rebounds from Connor Mahoney. Junior Qwadere Lovell passed out eight assists to go with 16 points while senior Nate Gause recorded a "double-double" of 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Sophomore Damon Coleman gave the Panthers their second lead of the game at 11-10 with a three pointer more than halfway through the first half. Libroia then helped grow that lead to 19-12 with a steal, his fourth of the half, and a layup followed by an assist on a Duane Morgan jumper the 7:25 mark.

Le Moyne regained the lead twice before the end of the first half before going into the break with a 25-23 advantage. Libroia and Morgan each led the Panthers with 6 points each while Morgan added five rebounds and Libroia notched five steals, a new career-high. Lovell led Le Moyne with eight points.

The Dolphins increased their lead to 28-23 to open the second half on a Mahoney trey. However, an 8-0 run gave the Brown and Gold a 31-28 lead after a Coffey three and a DeNicola layup. After both teams played to four more ties, Le Moyne built its largest lead of 10 points at 59-49 with 5:32 remaining.

The Panthers continued to chip away at the lead, getting to within two points on two occasions in the final minute. However, Libroia's layup to tie the game with four seconds left was denied by Gause on the baseline.

Adelphi is back on the road this Wednesday with a conference matchup in North Easton, MA to face the Skyhawks of Stonehill at 7:30 pm.