Garden City, N.Y. - In a game where both teams entered with identical league records, the Adelphi University men's basketball team unfortunately let a 16-point halftime lead slip away, resulting in a 66-75 loss to Assumption University on Wednesday, inside the Center for Recreation and Sports.
Adelphi started the contest on fire, landing three of their first four shots with a 9-0 stretch. The visitors put together a 7-4 run to cut the deficit to six, but a quiet stretch from either side over a minute only saw the contest at 17-13 with 10 minutes still left in the opener. The home team used a 10-2 run to extend its lead to 13, with 5;25 left on the clock after
Ronnie Silva took advantage of a fast break opportunity to drive to the basket for two.
Dayshaun Walton completed a three-point play wn route to the Panthers holding their largest lead of the contest at 19 with just over a minute still to play in the first.
At the break, Silva was responsible for 17 points behind a 5-for-7 effort from the field with a 6-6 performance at the free throw line as the team shot just under 50 percent from the field, holding the Greyhounds to a mere 33 percent, with just three makes from beyond the arc. Adelphi led 43-27 with two players in double-figures and single digit turnovers.
It took Assumption about four minutes to get going, but once they did, momentum quickly shift as a 13-point unanswered run for the visitors gave them a one-point lead at 12:23. The Panther offense turned ice cold in that time and the team was plagued with miscues, until Silva broke the ice with the team's first basket in nearly five minutes. The slight spark was still not enough for the hosts, who struggled to string together anything to get them over the hump as the Greyhounds continued to find ways to land shots. In a tale that flipped the script, Assumption went on to 48 compared to Adelphi's 23 in the second half.
Dave Duke and squad are back on the road this weekend when they travel to Saint Michael's College for a 3:30 p.m matchup in Vermont. The team will return to its home court on Tuesday, Jan. 24 for the first game back of the academic semester. The Welcome Back Bash will feature corporate sponsors, giveaways and in-game contests for students.