Men's Basketball is Y2K Compliant

by Mark Ginocchio

Adelphi University's men's basketball team has fast breaked into the year 2000, putting itself in excellent position to capture the NYCAC title for the sixth year in a row and making the Division II Northeast Regional.  The Panthers had a magnificent month of January, winning six games in a row at one point, and 10 of 12 overall.  The team has been led by the strong play of senior Yaacov Williams, junior Ryan McCormack and sophomore Kendall Craig.  This trio, and their very potent supporting cast, seem to have the momentum to carry the team through the stretch run of the season.

As the year began, the Panthers posted three victories in a row against NYCAC rivals Concordia (102-73), New York Tech (66-53) and Queens (72-69) before falling to New Haven 69-62.  After that game, the Panthers went on a tear, beating the next six teams including Southampton (91-80), Mercy (88-64), CW Post (79-66) and New Jersey Tech (77-74) a team they had lost to earlier this season.  On January 22, the Panthers traveled to Philadelphia University to play a thrilling nail-biter against the Rams.  In the first half, the two teams exchanged leads until the Rams pulled ahead by 10 with about 5 minutes to go in the half.  The Panthers stormed back and cut the lead to 47-44 before the first half ended.  The second half brought more of the same that was seen in the first half.  With about 1:15 left on the clock, Philadelphia led by 10, 78-68.  However, the Panthers refused to lose and hit many clutch three-pointers and eventually tied the game at 78 with 3 seconds left on Ryan McCormack's layup.  When the game went into overtime, the Panthers finally took over and finished off the Rams 88-84.

The overtime win over Philadelphia had the Panthers psyched up when the Golden Knights of the College of Saint Rose traveled to Woodruff.  Although Saint Rose led 12-11 early on in the matchup, it would be the last lead they would hold.  AU went on a 9-0 run capped by a pair of free-throws from Kendall Craig and finished the first half with a 34-27 lead.  As the second half got underway, the Panthers took the Golden Knights by storm and went on a destructive 22-5 run.  The run was finished off  by a significant three-pointer by Yaacov Williams which gave Adelphi a 76-45.  The basket was Williams' 1,000th career point and his seventh three-pointer of the second half.  Williams scored all 24 of his points in the second half.  The Panthers went on to win the game 82-58 and had three other players besides Williams in double-figures for scoring.  Kendall Craig added 16 points and seven rebounds, freshman Anthony Kellman contributed 13 points, and Ryan McCormack finished with 11 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals.

The Panthers saw their win-streak come to an end against Molloy when they lost 81-71.  However, AU returned to Woodruff to play what was very likely one of the most phenomenal games of the season against Dowling.  After the Panthers' setback to Molloy, Dowling needed a win to tie AU for first place in the NYCAC standings.  However, as the first half unfolded, it seemed as if Adelphi had complete control, going on a 24-5 run and taking a 33-16 lead.  However, Dowling would not go away, and went on a 10-0 run to end the half trailing 37-28.  As the second half began, Dowling continued to roll, going on a 16-3 run capped off by a lay-up by Jason Saner to go up 48-42.  AU would then counter with a 20-2 run of its own and led 62-50 after Yaacov Williams hit a three-pointer.  Dowling still would not disappear and with 13 seconds left, took a 74-73 lead after Sanders hit a three-pointer.  On what was very likely the final play of the game for AU, Ryan McCormack dribbled the length of the court and found Kendall Craig in the corner who nailed the 10-foot jumper with about a second to play, to put the Panthers up by one and dramatically seal the must-win game for Adelphi.  Emotions ran high for both teams during the contest but the Panthers showed their resilience and resistance to lose a game where they had a lead by as many as 19.  AU was led by Craig's 23 points and Eddie Williams' 14 points, 13 of which in the first half.

After such an intense game against Dowling, the Panthers seemed relieved when they faced off against Concordia and New York Tech.  The Panther easily dispatched of both teams, defeating them 101-65 and 77-49, respectively.  Against Concordia, freshman Wayne Nelson scored a career-high 24 points and Ryan McCormack added 16 points and eight assists.  McCormack showed his ability on the boards against New York Tech when he tallied a season-high 13 rebounds in the victory.  The following Wednesday, the Panthers defeated Queens College 68-56 to keep their winning ways going.  The Panthers, led by Kendall Craig's 16 points and 12 rebounds advanced by as many as 24 points in the second half before they finished the game with the 12 point margin of victory.  That win put AU ranked at number 4 in the latest Division II Northeast Regional poll.

The Panthers seem to have everything going their way, heading into the postseason.  It will only be a matter of time before the Adelphi community gets to see if the Panthers will meet their preseason goal and reach the elite eight of the NCAA Division II tournament.