Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The second-seeded American International College men's basketball team dropped a 55-52 decision to seventh-seeded Adelphi University in the quarterfinal round of the 2011 Northeast-10 Championship Tournament Monday night at Butova Gymnasium.

The Panthers, who handed the Yellow Jackets a 69-63 loss just nine days ago, improved to 18-10 and will travel to sixth-seeded UMass Lowell for a 7p.m. semifinal contest Thursday night. AIC is now 20-8 and will see if its season continues Sunday night when the NCAA selection show airs live at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com.

Senior center David Akinyooye (Elmont, N.Y.) scored a game-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and pulled down eight rebounds to lead Adelphi. Sophomore guard Chris Ranglin (Yonkers, N.Y.) netted 12 points with five rebounds and two steals, while junior guard Robert Johnson (New Rochelle, N.Y.) tallied 11 points, three rebounds and three steals.

Sophomore guard Ricky Hudson (Sewell, N.J.) scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting off the bench to lead the Yellow Jackets. Junior forward Isiah Wallace (Springfield, Mass.) was just 4-for-21 in the game, finishing with 10 points, a game-high 15 rebounds and four assists.

Neither team led by more than six in the game, which featured six lead changes and five ties. AIC trailed 33-32 at the half and opened the second frame with a 6-2 spurt to take a brief 38-35 lead, but the Panthers answered with a 7-0 run to regain the lead for good.

The Yellow Jackets kept the game close and had several chanced to draw even or pull ahead in the closing minutes.

AIC junior guard Adrian Hynes-Guery (Montreal, Que.) drove to the basket for a layup that made it a one-point game with 21 seconds to go and Richard Byrd (Central Islip, N.Y.) answered with two made free throws after being fouled four seconds later for the 55-52 final.

Wallace then took a desperation three after getting trapped at the top of the three-point arc that was off the mark just before the buzzer sounded to end the game.