ALBANY, N.Y. (December 8, 2021) – A furious comeback by the SUNY Delhi men's basketball team Tuesday night at Sage came down to a missed field goal late in the game that would have tied the game at 82 after the Broncos trailed by as many as 26 points in the first half. The host Gators took an 85-80 victory that sent Delhi to 5-4 on the year entering this weekend's NAC West home series against Northern Vermont Johnson and SUNY Canton.
The green and gold were swamped in the early going, as the Gators chomped down on a 19-0 run through five minutes and a 33-9 advantage through the first 12, eventually pinning the Broncos to as much as a 26-point deficit at 43-17. Head Coach Zack Thomsen prompted several lineup changes where some new faces to stepped up to mount the comeback. No stronger was that felt than the breakout performance of freshman Emerson Therneus, who entered the game in the last 4:19 of the first half and delivered six points, two rebounds, and two steals to help Delhi cut the gap to 14 points at 47-33 going into intermission.
Emerson Therneus went on to finish with 19 points while fellow newcomer Lester McCarthy drained a game-high 27 points on 7-of-9 threes as the Broncos found their groove to draw within as little as two points on Sage late in the contest. Delhi was, however, hampered with foul trouble throughout the closing half, tallying six team fouls just four minutes in, including the premature departure of Erhunosere Uwuigbe, who fouled out with 18:22 remaining. This offered Sage the chance to tack on to their lead with every trip to the free throw line, making 29-of-45. This did little, though, to keep the Broncos at bay. Delhi got the closest at 82-80 and possession of the ball, where Mavenson Therneus' layup drive to the basket back-ironed out, where Sage rebounded and was able to make three more free throws to call game.
SUNY Delhi overcame a less-than-stellar opening half of shooting, going from 39.4 percent (13-of-33) in the opening set to 51.2 percent (21-of-41) in the latter for an overall total of 45.9 percent (34-of-74), making 8-of-24 threes and 4-of-10 free throws. McCarthy's seven triples and Seth Keller's three accounted for the made action from behind the arc. The Gators shot 41.7 percent (25-of-6) and connected on 6-of-17 threes. Their free-throw productivity engineered a 25-point swing. Sage outrebounded Delhi, 50-36, including 22-14 on offensive boards that produced a 22-16 lead in second-chance points. The Broncos' nine-person reserve carried a 40-18 lead in bench points.
Pablo Quinones had ten points to rank third on the Broncos' score tally, making 5-of-8 from the field and collecting a team-best six rebounds. Mavenson Therneus tallied six points with five rebounds.
The Broncos, 1-0 in NAC play, return to their conference slate this weekend, opening up against Northern Vermont Johnson Friday at 5:30 p.m. and SUNY Canton Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
