Sophomore forward Mike Yocum (Dresher, Pa./Episcopal Academy; pictured) scored 13 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 50-46 loss to visiting Adelphi University on Tuesday night at the Gallagher Center.  The NCAA Division II Northeast Region setback ends a six-game winning streak for the Rams, who fall to 12-11 overall on the season, while the Panthers improve to 12-8 overall.

Sophomore forward Malcolm Ingram (Philadelphia, Pa./Solebury Prep) added 11 points and seven rebounds for Philadelphia University before fouling out on his fifth offensive charge of the contest with :58 seconds remaining in the closing frame.

Adelphi was led by freshman guard Richard Byrd (Central Islip, N.Y./Copiague) with a game-high 16 points while junior forward Sky Khaleel (Queens, N.Y./Benjamin Cardozo) added 14 points and nine rebounds.

The entire game was a defense-dominated struggle between the evenly-matched opponents, with neither club ahead by more than seven points at any time in the contest.  The first half was highlighted by three ties and three lead changes, one of which saw the Rams up 20-17 after junior guard Mike Dunn (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) drained a three-pointer with 2:05 left in the opening stanza.  Dunn finished with five points for the night, as Philadelphia's sharp-shooter had trouble getting open looks against an aggressive Panther defense that featured both zone and man-to-man coverage.

The Rams did not score again in the opening period and Adelphi took a 21-20 lead into the locker room for the halftime break.  The second half was plenty more of the same, with six ties and four lead changes taking place over the final 20 minutes of action.  With 5:38 to go in the game, Philadelphia appeared to gain command after taking a 42-35 advantage on the strength of a 6-0 run that included two slam dunks by Yocum and a layup by Dunn.

But Adelphi would counter by going on an 8-1 stretch that put them up 44-43 with 3:21 left.  Senior forward Jason Hickenbottom (Philadelphia, Pa./Simon Gratz) then knocked down a three-point field goal to put the Rams ahead 46-44 at the 2:34 mark.  Hickenbottom ended the night with seven points and a game-high 11 boards.  Sophomore point guard Russell Frederick (Joppa, Md./Calvert Hall) also shined in defeat for the Rams, distributing a game-high seven assists.

However, Hickenbottom's three-pointer represented the last scoring for Head Coach Herb Magee's squad, as the Panthers collected the last six points of the game and in turn shutout Philadelphia University in the closing minutes, capitalizing on Ingram's foul trouble and making the most of their defensive tenacity.

The Rams resume Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) South Division play this Thursday night, February 7.  Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. inside the Gallagher Center against the visiting Devils from The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.  The men's game will be the back end of the CACC women's/men's twinbill, with the Lady Rams' start time set for 6:00 p.m.

If you can't make it to the arena on campus, you now have three digital methods to follow every play of the Lady Rams and Rams, this Thursday versus the Devils:

• Log onto the new live stats service
• Listen to live audio play-by-play on Teamline
• Watch pay-per-view video via Penn Atlantic at CACC.tv.