Garden City, N.Y. - A second half offensive push from the Adelphi University men's basketball was not enough to hold back the #18 St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans in their final contest of 2018, resulting in a 91-85 loss for the home team Sunday afternoon.
The Spartans (10-1) moved to No. 18 in the latest Division II National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll announced prior to the holidays and picked up their fifth consecutive win in the Center for Recreation and Sports.
The Panthers (6-6) were led by senior
Nick Cambio who collected 20 points and saw 18 points off the bench from
Ronnie Silva in the loss. Cambio was a combined 9-9 from three-point range and at the free throw line and nearly missed a double-double with eight boards.
St. Thomas wasted no time after the opening tip, scoring the first eight points in a matter of three minutes. Adelphi managed to get on the board with
Jack Laffey's first five points, but suffered a setback when the Spartans rattled off a 19-2 run to lead 27-6. From there the hosts were left playing catch up, and still trailed by double-figures at the break.
STAC's Osbel Caraballo recorded 13 of his 35 overall points in the first half alone as the visitors held the Brown and Gold to a dismal 35.7 percent shooting from the field and a normally-hot three-point shooting team to 1-11 beyond the arc.
It wasn't until after ten minutes had gone by that Adelphi dipped into a single-digit deficit, with the help of a tre from
Oswald Parker III and subsequent buckets by Silva and Laffey. At 2:10 another three-pointer from Parker III brought the Panthers within four and foul trouble down the stretch proved to make things interesting. In total, three players from either team fouled out of the contest, but it was the Spartans that used 72 percent shooting at the free throw line to close out the game.
Conor McGuinness flew down the court for a quick lay-in with 18 seconds remaining to bring Adelphi within two, however missed opportunities saw the Panthers fall for the final time in 2018.
The Panthers are back in action for the first time in 2019 on Wednesday, January 2 when they take on non-conference foe Mercy College at 7:00 p.m. in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
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.
