Springfield, Mass. — After receiving their first national ranking in 15 years, the Adelphi men's basketball team traveled down to American International for yet another Northeast-10 contest.
In the first five minutes of the half, buckets by Mason Jackson, Dayshaun Walton and Al-Fatir Connor gave the Panthers a five point edge. The offense seemed to be kicking it into gear as AIC stalled when a Jarnel Rancy dunk put Adelphi up 17-4 halfway through the opening frame.
The Yellow Jackets responded to get the score to 17-6 and it would be stuck there for the next minute. A Panther turnover seemed to get the home team amped up as Adelphi's lead quickly dwindled during an extended 14-5 AIC run that tied the ball game at 22.
A jumper from Andres Fulgencio, who missed Adelphi's last game, regained the visitors' lead and pushed the pace for the remainder of the second half. AIC caught fire and the Panthers struggled from the floor, scoring only four points in the final three minutes and trailed 32-28 heading into the break.
AIC picked up right where it left off in the beginning of the second half, extending its lead to six. Tavin Pierre Philippe quickly responded with a three ball to let the Panthers breathe.
The 'Cats continued to fight and did not let the Yellow Jackets go up more than six again. A pair of Pierre Philippe free throws tied the game at 38 and that sparked a 9-2 Panthers run. Two Fulgencio threes put Adelphi up seven at the 14:18 mark.
The Yellow Jacket duo of Justice Ellison and Jack Hall (who combined for 47 AIC's points) continued to battle and once again the Adelphi lead shrunk down to one.
For the next three minutes Fulgencio and Pierre Philippe took over, scoring the next 11 Panther points to put the Brown and Gold up double digits. The Yellow Jackets were seemingly out of gas after a stellar early shooting performance. A Fulgencio three in the final minutes put the game to bed and Adelphi took home a 75-61 victory.
The win was Adelphi's 21st of the season, the most in a single season for Dave Duke so far.
Fulgencio finished with a season-high 26 points on 9-12 shooting (5-6 from three).
Jarnel Rancy led the team in assists (four) and blocks (four).
Walton pulled down a team-high six boards.
Duke and the Panthers will return to the court Saturday when they travel to play Saint Anselm at 3:30 p.m.
