Rockville Centre, N.Y. - The Adelphi University men's basketball team will have one final chance to end the 2018 portion of their season on a high note after falling to cross-town rival Molloy College Wednesday afternoon in non-conference action, 91-77.
Behind a career-high 32 points from Curtis Jenkins, the Lions (8-3) also used near 60 percent shooting from the field in the second half alone to quiet the visiting Panthers (6-5).
Adelphi suffered an early set back in the opening frame, having to overcome a 10-point deficit after eight minutes of action.
Jack Laffey capped an 11-2 run in favor of the visitors to bring them within one, as
Conor McGuinness knocked down back-to-back free throws to knot the game minutes later at 25-all.
Laffey,who collected 16 points in the loss, put away two shots from the charity stripe to give Adelphi it's first lead of the contest, with under seven minutes to play in the first. Twelve unanswered points from the Panthers, sparked by a
Nick Cambio three-pointer had the hosts trailing by ten with two to play and ultimately set them back by nine at the break.
In a game that saw 11 lead changes and four ties, the home team managed to overcome their deficit in the second half, as the Brown and Gold fell victim to turnovers and foul trouble. The Lions went to the line 37 times, and overall shot 70 percent.
Molloy's Nick Corbett notched his 1,000th career point with a layup in the second half while adding seven boards and two assists. Leading scorer for the Panthers was McGuinness who bolstered his 17 points with a 7-for-7 performance at the free throw line. Dejavaughn Utley and
Ronnie Silva also both reached double-digit points, scoring 16 and 11 respectively as
Denzel Jenoure made his first appearance in an AU uniform with four boards and two points.
Adelphi found a way to regain the lead with 12:19 on the clock in the second frame, but relinquished the advantage about a minute later and could not overcome the hot-shooting of the hosts.
The men's program will close out this half of the 2018-19 slate on Sunday, December 30 when they host St. Thomas Aquinas in a non-league matchup beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the Center for Recreation and Sports.
About Adelphi Athletics
A regionally and nationally competitive NCAA Division II institution located in Garden City, N.Y., Adelphi University has been a proud member of the Northeast-10 Conference since 2009.
Winners of 16 NCAA Division II National Championships and four NE10 Presidents' Cups, Panther athletes have excelled at the conference, regional and national level, both on the field of play and in the classroom. In turn, the Adelphi athletic department is committed to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, equity and success where its student-athletes can thrive both on campus and off.
Stay connected with Adelphi Athletics by following the Panthers at aupanthers.com or via social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and wear your Panther pride by shopping official Adelphi Panthers gear at our licensed team store.
