COLCHESTER, Vt. - The 22nd-ranked Saint Michael's College men's basketball team lost to Adelphi University, 73-68, on Saturday during Northeast-10 Conference play in the Ross Sports Center.
 
The Purple Knights retained first place in the NE10 despite the loss to the Panthers, who entered the day tied for second in the league with Pace University. Saint Michael's is ranked 22nd in this week's D2CSC national poll while receiving votes toward the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national rankings. The Purple Knights are also third in the D2CSC East Region poll, claiming one first-place vote, while Adelphi is ninth.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (13-4, 9-2 NE10), Adelphi (12-5, 8-3 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Romar Reid (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Woodstock Academy/Manhattan), 21 points, 2 steals, 8-for-16 field goals, 3-for-3 free throws
• Sophomore Darrel Yepdo (Dracut, Mass./Brooks School), 17 points, 3 assists, 3 steals
• Junior CJ Crews (Tampa, Fla./Bayshore Christian School), 12 points, 4-for-7 field goals
• Junior Jacob Duniver (Fredericksburg, Va./Woodstock Academy), 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3-for-6 field goals
• Sophomore Nolan Marold (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Brewster Academy/Loyola Chicago), 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 offensive rebounds, 2 assists, 3-for-6 field goals

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Sophomore Dayshaun Walton, 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 9-for-14 field goals
• Sophomore Elijah Lewis, 17 points, 7-for-7 free throws
• First-year David Luberoff, 14 points, 5-for-7 field goals
• Sophomore Mason Jackson, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, 4-for-8 field goals
• Graduate student Conor Regan, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks

GAME FACTS

• The Purple Knights committed nine turnovers to the Panthers' 13.
• Saint Michael's held a 12-2 lead in second-chance points thanks to a 10-6 lead on the offensive glass.
• Neither team led by more than six points, as they played through 18 lead changes.

THE ACTION

• Yepdo scored each point in a 5-0 run that gave Saint Michael's an 8-4 lead by 14:44 of the opening half.
• After first-year Seth Brown countered by burying a pair of threes 31 seconds apart to put Adelphi in front, Reid netted the final two buckets of an 8-0 run that made it 16-10 at 9:50.
• Three Panthers scored in a 6-0 run that put them up 22-20 with 5:20 to go.
• Yepdo's breakaway dunk capped a 5-0 stretch, providing Saint Michael's a 28-24 edge at 1:58. The hosts took a one-point edge into halftime.
• Jackson's fast-break basket 48 seconds into the second stanza finished off a 7-0 swing that put Adelphi up 31-28, and the visitors didn't trail again until Crews scored seven points in an 11-2 stretch that placed Saint Michael's ahead by a 52-46 count with 11:10 left.
• The Panthers slowly chipped away thanks to 14-5 run, leading 60-57 on Lewis' jumper with 6:47 left.
• Down 65-62 at 3:53, the Purple Knights scored the next six points, with Yepdo converting a tying three-point play 13 seconds later before breaking the deadlock on a free throw at 2:54. Duniver's mid-range jumper with 2:05 left had his team up three.
• Adelphi went back in front on Lewis' mid-range jumper with 23 seconds left, and the Purple Knights committed a turnover on the next possession. The visitors salted away the win with four free throws in the final six seconds, ultimately ending the contest on an 8-0 run.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Wednesday at Franklin Pierce University, 7:30 p.m.