Easton, Mass. - Even with a double-digit lead heading into halftime, the Adelphi University men's basketball team suffered a 85-74 defeat at Stonehill College in the first round of the Northeast 10 Championships Friday evening.
An 11-2 run, capped with a Laffey three-pointer, put Adelphi up nine to lead in the first half after five minutes of action. Both sides of the ball were scoreless over the following two minutes, but the Panthers were able to push out to at most a 19-point advantage throughout the remainder of the opener.
With the help of contributions from
Conor McGuinness and
Nick Cambio, the Brown and Gold bolstered their lead using another 11-point run. In the final minute of first-half action the hosts dipped back into single-digit deficit, but Laffey knocked down his second from beyond the arc to push it back out to 11.
The Skyhawks shot below 40 percent from the field, but turned that around in the second, shooting 46 from the field and 53 from downtown. Adelphi, who was 7-for-11 from three-point land in the opener shifted to a dismal 25 percent (3-for-12) in the second.
Ten unanswered points from Stonehill coming out of the break brought the first round contest to an even 55-all, which they extended to take the lead on an Owen Chose three. From 12:38 on, momentum quickly shifted and the crowd in Merkert Gymnasium got loud, as the Skyhawks worked to never relinquish their newfound lead.
Down the stretch, Adelphi continued to foul to regain possession, but successful shooting from the charity stripe worked the host advantage out to double-figures, ultimately resulting in an 85-74 loss for Adelphi.
The team concludes the 2017-18 campaign at 11-18 overall with their third straight appearance in the NE10 Conference tournament.
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.
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.
