Springfield, Mass. - It took an extra five minutes of action, however the Adelphi University men's basketball team narrowly picked up a 95-92 victory inside Butova Gymnasium over American International College Wednesday evening.
Ronnie Silva scored a team-best 34 for Adelphi (16-7,8-5 NE10), while also adding six rebounds and five assists.
Spencer Foley and
Austin Beech were also responsible for double-digit numbers, accounting for 25 and 11, respectively as the pair combined for 11 rebounds and four steals. Three different players for AIC (7-16,3-8 NE10) scored 16 points as six players in total notched double-figure point totals despite the loss.
Silva accounted for three consecutive three-pointers and 11 points overall in a 15-0 Panther run that occurred after a quiet opening five minutes in the first frame. It was another tre from Silva at 8:30 that gave the visiting team their largest lead of the contest. The hosts responded with 13 unanswered points over the final 4:08 and managed to even the score at 34-all with 1:24 left on the clock.
The Panthers scored the last seven points of the half to head into the locker room after the Yellow Jackets committed 10 turnovers in the first half alone.
AIC struggled to gain momentum coming out of the break as Adelphi once more crept out to a double-digit lead, using nearly 50 percent shooting from the field in the second frame. The home team was down five when Foley drained a jumper with under a minute to play in regulation, but two missed free throws down the stretch for the Panthers allowed Jordan Vidal to put in a final basket to force an overtime period.
The Yellow Jackets were first to get on the board with an easy lay-in but Silva's back-to-back buckets from beyond the arc stretched the visitor lead to four with 3:16 left on the clock. AIC's Zekiah Owens put in two free throws to bring his team within one but a quick pass from
Jared Rivers to
Andrew Delaney allowed the rookie to knock down a three of his own from the corner. Nearly perfect shooting at the charity stripe for Adelphi kept the hosts at bay down the stretch, even with easy baskets for the Yellow Jackets.
Adelphi's final road trip in the three-game stretch will be at Le Moyne College on Tuesday, Feb. 11 before they return home on Saturday, Feb. 15 to face the College of Saint Rose.
