ORANGEBURG, N.Y. – A furious second-half rally came up just short for Felician men's basketball Wednesday at Dominican, answering from a 19-point halftime deficit to come to within three at 72-69 with just over six minutes left. The Chargers, however, countered with a 12-3 run towards taking an 86-81 win.

Trailing, 48-29, at the half, the Golden Falcons got a boost when Etnik Peci (Pristina, Kosovo) connected for all 21 of his points in the second half, making 5-of-9 threes. Along with a game-best 23-point, 12-rebound performance from Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland), his layup with 7:43 to go helped Felician get to within one possession at 68-65. They would cut the deficit down to three on two more occasions before Dominican used its run to lead 84-72 with 1:15 to go. The Golden Falcons would not be turned away, making three 3-pointers in the final minute, with just a pair of free throws from Charger Jaden Honis providing just enough distance to preserve Dominican's victory.

Felician shot 47.4 percent for the game (27-of-57), including 57.1 in the second half (16-of-28), making 14-of-25 threes and 13-of-19 free throws. The Chargers fared 49.3 percent (33-of-67) with 5-of-17 threes and 15-of-18 from the line. Dominican held noteworthy leads in rebounds, 42-28, and points in the paint, 48-22.

The Golden Falcons' next challenge sees them return home this Saturday for a matchup against Georgian Court Saturday at 3:30 p.m.