Albany, NY - The men's basketball team hosted the Holyoke Cougars on Sunday afternoon in a game that came down to the wire. 

The Cougars scored the first basket of the game and maintained a single digit lead that the Panthers cut to 2 about halfway through the period. There was a lot of back and forth, with the Panthers eventually tying the game at 27 thanks to 16 first half points from Alex Carrillo (Akron, OH).  The Cougars would go into the break with a 33-31 lead. 

The Panthers started the second half very cold. Fouls and missed layups led to the Cougars starting the period on a 27-13 run to give themselves a game high 16 points.  Insert Alex Carrillo and Logan Yohe (Delmar, NY). Their defense slowed down the Cougars while freshmen Chase Tamashiro (Kane'ohe, HI) and Josh Bendele (San Antonio, TX) combined for 21 second half points. 

The Panthers clawed their way back and took their first lead of the game at 67-65 with 1:20 left thanks to a huge three from Tamashiro.  The Cougars then scored to tie the game, but Carrillo hit what would go on to be the game winner with 29 seconds left as the Cougars missed at the buzzer. 

The comeback victory marked the Panthers third straight win to begin the semester. Carrillo finished with 26 points and 9 rebounds while Tamashiro dropped 16 off the bench and Bendele added 12 of his own. 

The Panthers will have about a week off as their next game isn't until Friday night when they host conference rival Central Maine Mustangs at 7pm. 

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.