Box Score RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Felician College senior swingman Antoine Obery (Roselle, N.J./Abraham Clark) recorded 26 points, including the 1,000th of his collegiate career, and grabbed 10 rebounds, but the Golden Falcons were defeated, 77-72 by visiting Philadelphia University in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Job Gymnasium.
Obery entered the day needing 12 points to become the sixth Felician male to score 1,000. He reached the milestone with his only three-point field goal of the day, a jumper from the near the left corner with 14 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in regulation. The shot tied the game at 48-48, and was part of a 22-point second half for Obery.
Philadelphia (5-1, 2-0 CACC) exploded for 28 points in the first 11 minutes of the second period, turning a 38-33 halftime deficit into a seven-point advantage. The Rams still led by seven at the 5:44 mark when Anthony D. Green (Jersey City, N.J.) scored the first five points of a 7-1 Felician run which brought the hosts to within 69-68.
Felician (3-2, 1-1) still trailed, 71-69, when Obery rebounded a Ram miss, then collected a pass from Jamal Reid (Newark, N.J./East Side) and drove to the basket for a conventional three-point play and a one-point Golden Falcon edge with 1:28 remaining. But Philadelphia junior Nick Christian (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) answered with a driving, left-handed lay-up at 1:01.
After the Golden Falcons missed on a potential go-ahead jumper and grabbed the rebound, Obery was called for a charging violation. Ram freshman Andre Gibbs (Smyrna, Del./Symrna) sank a pair of free throws at 0:06.1, and a long in-bounds pass by the Golden Falcons was intercepted. Two Christian foul shots provided the final margin.
Philadelphia senior Jim Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) sank nine three-point field goals and led all scorers with 31 points. Christian finished with 21 points and six rebounds, while Green scored 18 for the Golden Falcons. Felician's 19 turnovers offset its 49-percent shooting and its 38-29 rebounding advantage.
