Albany, NY - The Panthers took on last years sixth seed in the USCAA National Championship and conference opponent NHTI Saturday afternoon. Coming off their first conference win of the year, the Panthers were looking to start 2-0 in conference play. The Panthers had two players finish with a double-double in what would be a very close game.

The first half was what you would expect coming from two conference teams in their matchup. The scoring went back and forth, with the Lynx and the Panthers trading basket for basket. Halfway through the first half though, the Lynx would go on a 15-3 run to take a double digit lead. The Panthers did not back down, however, as they would make a little run themselves to get them back into the game. With good ball movement and strong defense, the Panthers were able to get themselves to just a six point deficit. The score read 40-34 at the half, with the Panthers trailing going into the locker room. The Panthers had strong play across the board during the first half. Brett Richards (Kinderhook, NY) led the Panthers in scoring with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Abe Pogue (Oradell, NJ) dropped 7 points and 3 rebounds. Clarence Claiborne Jr. (Petersburg, VA) was finding his teammates all around the court as he dished out 6 assists. Myles Washington (Washington, D.C.) was a force on the defensive end racking up 3 steals. 

The second half saw the Panthers come out hot and close the first half gap right away tying the game at 40 in the first sixty seconds to open the half. Just like the first half, both the Lynx and Panthers went back and forth for the next nine minutes. This time halfway through the half, it was the Panthers that took control and went on a run going up by as many as nine points with just over eight minutes to go. It was the Panthers that held control of the game until two minutes left, when the Lynx started making a run back and tying the game at 70 with two minutes and twenty three seconds left. The Lynx would go on to hit two three pointers with under a minute to go to go up by 5. The Panthers would hit their shots, but the Lynx would hit their free throws, making the end harder to overcome. The final horn went off, and it was a sad five point loss for the Panthers in a very hard fought game.

Richards would drop another 11 points, scoring 24 for the game, and got 6 more rebounds to secure his double double. Pogue would go on to score 12 points himself, giving him 19 for the game, as well as 3 more rebounds to get 6 for the game. Claiborne Jr. was the second Panther to secure a double double dropping 14 points, and 10 assists. His assists tied him for third most in a single game for the Panthers. 

Other Panther Statlines:
Myles Washington - 11 points, 4 steals
Jalon Muñoz - 9 points, 5 rebounds

After the game, Head coach Robert Coleman was asked about his thoughts on the game, having four starters in double figures. His response was, "Shout out to NHTI, we did exactly what we wanted and we just couldn't finish. We couldn't finish because they are very good, they are athletic, they are aggressive, and they shoot the ball very well. Disappointing that we just couldn't finish, but not in the game plan or the energy or the effort of the guys. There is some good stuff we did and we just got to get better." Coach Coleman was then asked how he thinks he might perform in the conference the rest of the year. He responded saying, "To be very honest, I am only thinking about UCONN Avery Point tomorrow, I am not thinking about conference or anything, just thinking how can I get these guys ready to turn around and play UCONN tomorrow." 

After getting his first career college double double, and tying for third for most assists in a game, Clarence Claiborne Jr. was asked how he thought he played today. He responded saying, "I played good, I feel like I could clean it up a little bit with a few turnovers in game but that comes along with experience and I feel like we can get that back. Overall a good game, we played a good NHTI team, they are a really good team." He was then asked as a leader what he thinks the team needs to work on to beat UCONN Avery Point tomorrow. His response was, "I feel like we played good like running throughout the game, but I feel like the in game we need to clean up a little bit. We had a few crucial turnovers that let NHTI to get the lead and keep the lead, so we need to clean up those turnovers."

The Panthers will have a quick turnaround as they will take on UCONN Avery Point tomorrow at home to finish out the weekend. 

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