North Andover, Mass. - Conor McGuinness forced an overtime period courtesy of a late jumper, however the Adelphi University men's basketball program let a Northeast-10 Conference matchup against Merrimack slip away as the hosts finished off a 92-89 decision Tuesday evening. 

McGuinness, who finished as one of four starters in double-figures, nearly contributed a double-double with 10 points and seven assists. Leading the Panthers (5-12, 1-8 NE10) was Michael Coffey with 20 points behind 8-for-12 shooting from the field. Austin Beech and Nick Cambio combined for 10 made field goals, chipping in 13 and 10, respectively. Terrel Martin-Garcia did what he could off the bench, adding 18 and going 7-for-10 from the field and pulling down 14 boards.

Merrimack (12-4, 9-1 NE10) pushed ahead after the 12-minute mark, using a 9-2 run en route to a double-digit lead. The hosts largest lead of the contest was with less than three minutes remaining in the opening frame, when a scoring drought for Adelphi saw them trailing by 15. Martin-Garcia came off the bench to contribute 11 of his 18 points in the first half alone, registering the final nine points of the opener for the Panthers with less than 2:30 to play. 

Heading for the locker room, the Warriors commanded a 10-point lead after shooting 70 percent from the field and doubling the boards of the opponents. 

Adelphi fought in the second half to dip below the double-digit deficit, and found success after back-to-back threes from Coffey sparked a 9-2 for Adelphi that brought them within six of the home team. Following the 8:06 mark on the scoreboard, the advantage for either team never grew greater than five and was even as regulation came to a close. McGuinness drained a jumper from the paint to keep the teams even at 81-81 to force another period. 

The teams traded baskets to start the frame, but foul trouble for AU sent the Warriors to the line where they went a combined 5-8. Beech locked the game at 86-all with his layup at 2:44, but a jumper and three made free throws from Merrimack made it a two-possession game. Tavon Ginyard drained a trey with seconds left, but it was not enough to overcome the upper hand of the hosts. 

The Warriors were led by Juvaris Hayes, who finished the league game with 35 points. Two of his teammates saw double-digit points as well, as Khalief Crawford and Kyle Howes chipped in 17 and 14, respectively. 

The team returns home to Garden City for a Northeast-10 tilt against Saint Michael's College on Saturday, January 13. The men will play the second contest of the afternoon, scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. tip. 

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About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past eight seasons, has collected 25 regular season conference titles, 26 tournament championships, 33 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup four times (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), while winning six NCAA Division II National Championships.

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