Box Score

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - The No. 19 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team closed out the Adelphi Panthers Wednesday evening 90-80 by maintaining a slim lead for the final few minutes of the game.

With the win, the Owls improve to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the Northeast-10 Conference, while the Panthers fall to 2-1 and 0-1 in  the NE-10.

Southern Connecticut had as much as an 11 point lead midway through the second half. Adelphi's Manny Suarez cut the lead to four with a layup with 6:43 remaining, but an and-1 by Mike Mallory (Waterbury, Conn.) got SCSU's lead back to seven, 76-69. Mallory finished as the game's leading scorer with 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting and 3-of-6 from three.

The Owls went 3-for-8 from the field in the final 6:29 of the game but made 11-of-15 free throws during that same stretch to seal the win.

Adelphi cut the lead to three thanks to two free throws by Anthony Libroia with 2:59 remaining, but Mallory responded with a circus shot in the paint to give Southern an 80-75 lead. Two possessions later, Isaiah McLeod (Cambridge, Mass.) weaved his way into the paint and dished it to Eric Ross (Chicago, Ill.) for a dunk and an and-1 opportunity. Ross had arguably his bast game as an Owl, posting a near double-double with eight points and 12 boards. He and Desmond Williams (Torrington, Conn.) were tied for the team lead in rebounds.

Southern Connecticut went into the half with a 41-36 lead. Adelphi went on a quick 5-0 run to begin the second half to take their first lead since it was 8-7 four minutes into the game. On the Owls' next possession, Mallory sparked a 12-0 run with a three pointer. He would hit his first six shots in the second half en route to Southern's win.

The game was back and forth throughout the first half with the teams trading baskets on six straight possessions. Southern outshot Adelphi from the field, 4-of-6 to 3-of-8, in the first ten minutes. The Owls went on a four minute slump in which they only scored one field goal. Adelphi went on a 14-6 run to tie the game at 32 with 3:40 remaining, but SCSU went 4-of-8 from that point on to take a five point lead into the break.

Southern Connecticut did not take its first free throw until 14:12 in the second half. It finished with 17 offensive rebounds but only 16 second chance points. Desmond Williams posted his second double-double of the year with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Austin Carter (Bloomfield, Conn.) continued his strong start to the season with 13 points and eight boards. All of his rebounds came in the second half.

Southern Connecticut is back in action next Tuesday. They host AIC at 7:30 p.m. in the first game at Moore Field House this season.