SPRINGFIELD, Mass. The American International College men's basketball team fell in Northeast-10 action to Adelphi University Saturday at Butova Gymnasium, 91-79.
With the loss AIC opens the season 0-2 and 0-2 in conference play, while with the win Adelphi improves to 3-1 and 1-1 in the NE-10.
AIC led just once in a game Adelphi dominated from behind the arc. The Panthers connected on 17-35 from three-point land led by Michael Coffey's 34 points and 8-15 shooting from three.
After a Coffey trey opened the game, Jacket senior forward Trahmier Burrell (Albany, N.Y.) hit two shots to put his squad up in the early stages, 4-3. Coffey scored his team's first seven points before Jack Laffey knocked in a shot from long distance.
Seemingly every big play on the offensive side for the Jackets was answered on the other end as Adelphi led by as many as 10 in the opening half. American International freshman point guard Bruce Spruell (Hanover, Md.) got some momentum going late in the first with a few layups including a coast-to-coast lay-n through the middle of the lane to cut the lead to four. Adelphi scored with under a minute to play to take a 43-37 advantage into the locker room.
The Panthers erupted out of the intermission, going on a 14-2 run behind three three's and an old fashioned three-point play to gap AIC early, 59-39.
The Yellow Jackets showed life, scoring on four straight possessions including three's in consecutive series from Spruell, junior Juwan Moody (Pontiac, Mich.) and senior Cameron Dobbs (Albany, N.Y.). Dobbs, a dangerous shooter when he is on the mark, hit three straight three's to bring the deficit back down to eight (67-59), but long range shots from Coffey and Tavon Ginyard ballooned the lead back to double figures and the Panthers cruised from there.
Moody led the team with 19 points, while Dobbs chipped in 18, 13 coming in the second half. Spruell and Burrell each tallied 13, while freshman Jayvon Pitts-Young (Portland, Maine) added 10 off the bench.
The Yellow Jackets shot 38.8 percent from the floor while allowing Adelphi 45.7 percent.
AIC returns to action Tuesday, Nov. 24 when they travel to nationally ranked Southern Connecticut for an NE-10 showdown with the Owls. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. from New Haven, Conn.
