The ACPHS Men's Basketball Team exploded for 57 points in the second half against Bryant & Stratton-Liverpool on Thursday, besting the Bobcats by a score of 90-76. This was Albany's first win of the year, and they now stand at 1-1 after two games. Bryant is now 1-5 overall.

This one looked like a defensive struggle in the early-going, with the two times combing for just 64 points in the opening 20 minutes. Bryant & Stratton started the better of the two sides by forcing the Panthers into some early turnovers, jumping out to a 9-2 lead at the 15:06 mark. Albany battled back to tie the game at 12 four minutes later, and took their first lead following a made jumper by freshman guard Joel Martineau (Ausable Forks, NY / Ausable Valley HS) with five minutes left in the half. Martineau would finish the game with 16 points, good for second-most on the team. The teams traded baskets to close out the half, with senior guard Thomas Chalker (Boundbrook, NJ / Metuchen HS) hitting a three-pointer that gave the Panthers a two-point lead heading into the break.

That lead would balloon all the way to 14 by game's end, thanks to the Panthers finishing the second half on a 23-9 run. In the end, five Panthers scored in double-figures, with junior Naythan Beltran (Reading, PA / Antietam HS) leading the way with 19 on 7-13 shooting. The most impressive stat line came from junior forward Edward Ahanmisi (Vancouver, BC / Bodwell High), who finished the game with 11 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and one block. The Panther defense was stifling throughout, forcing the Bobcats into 22 giveaways which turned into 21 ACPHS points. Albany out-rebounded the Bobcats 43-34, and shot 48% (33-69) from the field.

Albany will look to start a winning streak on Saturday, November 10^th, when they host Southern Maine Community College at 2:00 PM.