Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University men's basketball team reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2011-12 season after tonight's Northeast-10 Conference 88-71 win against American International.
Also in the process, the Panthers (20-8/12-8 NE-10) ensured a spot in the upcoming NE-10 Championship. Adelphi, the second seed in the Southwest Division, hosts the third seed from the Northeast, Stonehill, on Sunday.
Michael Coffey shared the game-high of 28 points by shooting 7-for-14 from beyond the arc, falling one short of tying his career-best in 3-point field goals made. Meanwhile,
Anthony Libroia was able to set a career-high with 26 points while also posting nine assists.
Jayvon Pitts-Young led the Yellow Jackets (11-15/7-13 NE-10) by matching Coffey with 28 points. Nolan Woodward and Rasheed Howard each chipped in 11 points. American International also claimed a 39-33 advantage on the boards.
The visitors started out with the initial lead, creating advantages of five points on three different occasions throughout the first 12 minutes. However, the Panthers outscored the Yellow Jackets 23-8 in the final eight minutes to go into the break ahead.
Four 3-pointers from Libroia in the opening 20 minutes helped the senior post a half-high 16 points as Adelphi grabbed a 39-29 lead at the half. The Brown and Gold knocked down nine 3-pointers in the opening half, building a margin to as large as 12 points. Coffey added 10 points while
Manny Suarez posted five points, five rebounds, and two blocks.
Coffey knocked down five 3-pointers in the second half on the way to 18 points while also picking up two steals. The sophomore scored 11 straight points for the Brown and Gold during a one minute stretch to help extend the advantage to 75-57 with 6:42 remaining in regulation.
Libroia was credited with six of his assists in the half, including two on back-to-back 3-pointers from Coffey during his 11-point outburst. Additionally,
Ryan DeNicola hauled in eight rebounds with three coming on the offensive end.
The Panthers finished with 18 3-pointers on the evening, led by Coffey's seven. Furthermore, the offense was forced into only seven turnovers while the defense forced 13 turnovers from the Yellow Jackets.
Notes:- The Panthers have not played in the NE-10 Championship tournament since the 2012-13 season.
- The Adelphi program had a stretch of eight straight 20-win seasons, starting in 2004-05 and ending in 2011-12.
About Adelphi University Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past six seasons has collected 16 regular season conference titles, 21 tournament championships, 27 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 President's Cup twice (2013 and 2014), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.
For the latest on Adelphi University Athletics, follow the Panthers at www.aupanthers.com or via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat.
