Garden City, N.Y. - He hadn't had a 20-plus point game in over a month, but senior guard
Jack Laffey saved some of his best to help the Adelphi University men's basketball team close out its January home slate with another victory.
The senior guard from Red Bank, N.J. poured in a game-high 30 points, including 20 in the second half, to lead Adelphi (13-7, 7-5 NE10) to its third straight overall win on Saturday afternoon, helping his team rally from a double-digit deficit in the first half against the Franklin Pierce University Ravens, 86-68.
Laffey tied a season-high in scoring on the afternoon, as he also scored 30 in a victory over Chestnut Hill on Nov. 11 in the Panthers' second game of the season. Despite his scoring prowess, however, he hadn't tallied more than 17 points since scoring 24 in a setback vs. Saint Rose on Dec. 5, and was held to single digits in three of his last four games.Â
The Panthers fell behind early, as the Ravens (9-10, 5-7 NE10) sank five of their first nine shots of the game en route to building a 15-4 advantage over the first 3:55.
From there, however, the Brown and Gold exploded offensively and shot 10-for-18 from the floor over the next 9:16 to turn an 11-point deficit into a two-point edge. Over that stretch, Laffey tallied 10 and six players scored across the run in total to help Adelphi secure its first lead of the game with just over five minutes to play until halftime.
The opener saw three ties and two lead changes from there, as the visitors held on the lead by one at the break, 36-35. The second half saw much of the same, as the Ravens' lead twice returned to two possessions in the early part of the half, and the two teams combined for four ties and five lead changes, before one of Laffey's six triples on the afternoon put the home team ahead for good (58-55) with 10:03 to go.Â
In addition to Laffey,
Austin Beech went a perfect 10-for-10 from the floor en route to a season-best 21 points, just one off of his career-high, while
Oswald Parker III and
Conor McGuinness tallied double-doubles in support of the cause. Parker totaled 14 points and 10 rebounds, while McGuinness facilitated the offense with a game-high 12 assists and added 10 points.
For the Ravens, Doyin Fadojutimi tallied a team-high 24 points, with six rebounds, two blocks and three steals, while Isaiah Moore added 11.
The Panthers return to action on Tuesday night, as they travel to Southern New Hampshire University for an 8 p.m. NE10Â contest. The game will air on cable television FOX College Sports, and those looking to watch canÂ
check their local listings here.Â
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 atÂ
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our licensed team store.