Adelphi men's basketball falls to Felician in first round of Division II NCAA tournament
Adelphi's Dayshaun Walton drives up the court against Felician University in the NCAA Division II East Regional on Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Amherst. Credit: Adelphi Athletics/David Patalano
For the second year in a row, the Adelphi men’s basketball team found themselves in the NCAA Division II tournament. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they wound up with the same result.
No. 7 Adelphi fell to second-seeded Felician, 75-53, in a first-round game in the East Region Saturday afternoon at Daemen University in upstate Amherst.
Adelphi lost to Dominican University in the same round last season.
Felician will play No. 3 St. Anselm 5 p.m. Sunday.
“Felician is an excellent team,” Adelphi coach Dave Duke said. “We turned the ball over a lot in the second half, and we shot poorly. A combination of those two led to a difficult afternoon.”
The Golden Eagles penetrated Adelphi’s defense by making tough shots at the rim early in the game, sparking an 11-4 run in the first half. But the Panthers found their rhythm later and cut the deficit to 34-31 at halftime.
“We did a really good job at generating shots,” Duke said. “We did a nice job of running into some ball screens to start the offense up. We moved the ball around great and got good looks, but unfortunately, this afternoon we didn’t make them.”
The Panthers shot 27.3% from the field and 16.7% from three-point range in the second half. An 18-4 run by Felician effectively ended the game. The Panthers only made two field goals in the first 14:57 of the second half.
“It’s bittersweet,” said Matthew Price, who scored six points. “Being back here was a blessing. It’s no secret I struggled shooting today, but my teammates had my back and continued to believe in me.”
Dayshaun Walton scored 19 points and made all ten of his free throw attempts and Mason Jackson had 10 points for Adelphi (18-12).
“What’s special to me is our bond and friendship we have with each other,” Walton said. “We hang out with each other every day. It’s a different feeling going out there with the guys you built a bond with.”
“I’m very fortunate,” Duke said. “For them to have achieved going to back-to-back NCAA tournaments, I’m really proud of them.”
Jeremiah Anderson scored 30 points, making 12 of 25 shots from the field, and Tavian Pullock added 14 points for Felician (26-3).
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
