March 6, 2004

Box Score

Brookville, N.Y. - Sophomore Carlyshia Hurdle (Brentwood, N.Y.) led a balanced attack with 16 points and nine rebounds as No. 4 Adelphi University defeated top-seed the University of New Haven, 69-54, in the semi-finals of the NYCAC Tournament.

Senior Jamie Douglas (Hopatcong, N.J.) rattled in 12 of her 14 points in the second half. Junior Meranne Whitney (Nashua, N.H.) contributed 12 points off the bench, while junior Melanie Mangone (Middle Village, N.Y.) chipped in 10 points.

"We are very excited to be playing in the championship game tomorrow," said Head Coach Kelley Watts. "I thought our intensity defensively was outstanding and made our offense very productive. It was a total team effort that I am very proud of and we look forward to playing tomorrow afternoon."

Both teams got off to a slow start, but the Panthers managed a 7-4 lead over the first five minutes of play. The Chargers closed to 12-13 at 9:03 when Adelphi pulled the lead back to six, capped by a three-point basket from senior Kerri Kirschbaum. Both teams again traded baskets with the Panthers managing to hold at least a three-point lead for most of the half. With three minutes remaining, Whitney dropped in five straight to open to 25-18. A late surge by UNH closed the gap, 24-25, with less than a minute to go. Whitney, who had nine points in the half, hit a key layup to give the Panthers a 27-24 advantage at intermission.

Douglas poured in all of the Panthers first eight points to open the second half, giving Adelphi a 35-28 lead. Adelphi remained hot throughout the half, hitting 58.3 percent (14-of-24). UNH pulled to within three, 38-41, at 13:45, but that would prove to be as close as they would get. The Panthers defense stifled the Chargers, holding them to just 30.6 percent shooting (11-of-36). Adelphi followed on an 11-0 run capped by a jumper from Hurdle, 52-38, at 8:36. Leading by as much as 19 points with a minute to go, the Panthers picked up their final 11 points of the contest from the charity stripe (13-of-15).

The Chargers were led by senior Jill Angotta (Willimantic, CT) with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Ashley Hilton (Skowhegan, ME) had 12 points.

Adelphi will face No.7 seed St. Thomas Aquinas in the finals. The Spartans topped No. 6 Dowling College in the second semi-final match-up. The Panthers split with STAC during the regular season with each team winning at home. Adelphi dropped a 84-74 decision at STAC in their last meeting on February 21.

Game time is 1:00 p.m. at the Pratt Center on the campus of C.W. Post. Admittance is free to all NYCAC students with proper ID. Tomorrow's game may also be accessed online via www.nycac.net. Click on the WSRN Sports News Radio link.

This is the second time in three years, and the first under coach Watts, that the Panthers have advanced to the NYCAC championships. In 2001, Adelphi won its first ever title, defeating Dowling College, 58-50.