Garden City, N.Y. – The Adelphi men's basketball team earned its third consecutive win on Saturday afternoon in a tight 63-59 victory over Southern New Hampshire. In a very evenly matched contest, second-half defense was the difference for the Panthers as they held the Penmen to just 29.6% shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes.

Series History:

• Adelphi (13-4, 5-2 NE10) moves to 11-9 against SNHU since the 2009-10 season. The last matchup between the conference foes was a 75-72 Penmen victory in Manchester. In that game, Tavin Pierre Philippe scored 22 points while Dayshaun Walton scored 15.
   

Highlights:

• The aforementioned Walton was Adelphi's leading scorer with 17 points. Although he shot just 4-of-14 from the floor, the senior knocked down all eight of his free-throw attempts, including four clutch makes in the final 90 seconds.

• Mason Jackson had another solid game, scoring 13 points on a near-perfect 5-of-6 shooting performance. He buried a clutch three-pointer with 1:53 remaining and iced the game with two free throws with three seconds left.

• Patrick Burke continued his hot streak of play, posting double figures for the fifth consecutive game.

• Jarnel Rancy was the team's leading rebounder with seven boards. He also recorded five blocks, leaving him nine shy of the all-time Division II record.
   

How It Happened:

• Much like the Panthers' game on Tuesday against Pace, the tempo was slow. Southern New Hampshire clogged the lane and defended extremely well in the opening 10 minutes of the half as Adelphi managed just 14 points.

• The Penmen took their largest lead of the game with 8:52 remaining in the opening frame, but the Panthers' strong defense ensured they could not extend it. Adelphi quickly responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 21 just minutes later.

• Both teams went back and forth, but a three-pointer by SNHU with 28 seconds remaining gave the Penmen a lead heading into the break.

• In the early stages of the second half, Adelphi completely shut down SNHU. The visiting team missed its first eight field-goal attempts, allowing the Panthers to turn the tide and build a lead of as many as five.

• The five-point advantage was short-lived however as the Penmen attacked the paint with their top scorers to erase the deficit.

• In the final five minutes, the teams were locked in a defensive battle, but Adelphi's defense led by Rancy and Jackson held the edge.

• SNHU's 51-50 lead with 4:03 left marked the final time the Penmen were in front.

• Adelphi consistently forced SNHU to take possessions deep into the shot clock which often resulted in a miss and a Panther rebound.

• Jackson's clutch three-pointer with 1:53 remaining proved to be the dagger as SNHU failed to score from the field for the rest of the game.

• Walton and Jackson sealed the victory by converting all four free-throw attempts in the final minute.

• Adelphi shot 16-18 from the charity stripe in the game, making all 12 of its attempts in the second half.

Hear from Coach Duke: