Garden City, N.Y. - A jumper at the buzzer didn't fall through for Adelphi men's basketball on Saturday afternoon, resulting in a one-point loss to the College of Saint Rose in the home opener after being away from the CRS Gymnasium for 629 days.
Chris Coalmon led the Panthers (2-1, 0-1 NE10) with 20 points, as one of three players to score in double-figures.
Adonis Williams was responsible for a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds as
Ronnie Silva scored 14 while dishing out six assists.
Adelphi had defeated the Golden Knights (3-0, 1-0 NE10) in three consecutive games, heading into the home and conference opener, which also stood as their longest winning streak against them, dating back to 2009. Saint Rose saw four different players reach double-digit points in a game that saw 24 lead changes and seven ties.
Adam Anderson's fast break in the paint gave the visitors a six-point lead in the early going of the first half but a 9-2 run in favor of the Panthers returned the advantage back to the home team. A back-and-forth game throughout, Adelphi led by at-most seven in the first frame, but ultimately let that slip away as they trailed by three heading into the locker room.
Coming out of the break
Joshua Koulamallah converted a turnover from the Golden Knights into an easy two points to cut into the deficit, which eventually resulted into a momentum shift for the Panthers as they worked out to a seven-point advantage at 7:22, courtesy of Coalmon.
With 2:27 left on the clock, the hosts once more watched their lead dwindle, as they became stale from three-point range while the Knights shot 50 percent from the field in the second half. Adelphi's final points of the contest came by way of a jumper from
Isaiah Salter in the paint with under a minute to play, as they were unable to convert as time expired.
Dave Duke and his squad will play their next three games on the road, starting with Jefferson University on Nov. 23.