Albany, NY - The men's basketball team hosted the Monroe University JV Mustangs on Wednesday evening in a game that came down to the wire. 

The game tipped off at 6pm and the Mustangs started hot, scoring the first 9 points of the game. But then the Panthers answered by scoring the next 10 points. After that, it was constant back and forth with 5 lead changes and 2 ties until the halftime break when the Mustangs had a 30-27 lead. The Panthers shot 48% from the field, including 8 points each from Alex Carrillo (Akron, OH), Logan Yohe (Delmar, NY), and Jalin Williams (Winter Haven, FL). 

In the second half, the Mustangs pushed their lead all the way up to 13 points within the first six minutes, but the Panthers answered by another big run, this time scoring 15 unanswered to reclaim the lead. The last seven minutes were intense with both teams playing hard, passing the ball, and hitting threes. The Mustangs went back up by 8 points with about two minutes left, a lead that the Panthers cut back down to 3 or one last play and possession of the ball. Unfortunately, the buzzer-beater attempt was no good and the Mustangs held on for the victory. 

Carrillo finished with 19 points on 9/12 shooting while Yohe added 15. Clarence Claiborne, Jr. (Petersburg, VA) and Yohe both led the team with 5 assists. The Panthers will look to bounce back on Saturday when they travel to Southern Maine to take on the SMCC Seawolves in a doubleheader with the women's team. 

How to follow the Panthers: For the latest information on ACPHS athletics, visit acphspanthers.com or check out the ACPHS athletics social media platforms on Instagram @ACPHSPanthers or X @ACPHSAthletics. 

Written by Angelo Oddo.