Nov. 29, 2006

Box Score

Garden City, N.Y. - Sophomore Lisa Manetta poured in a game-high 19 points, including 4-4 from the line in the final seconds of overtime to give the Adelphi University women's basketball team a 68-59 victory over NYIT. The Panthers improve to 2-2 on the season and 1-0 in the ECC. The Lady Bears drop to 1-4 and 0-1 in league play.

Manetta also dished out four assists and grabbed four steals. Also in double figures for the Panthers was junior Mary Lepore, contributing 13 points and a team-high six rebounds off the bench. Junior Gianna Smith added 11 points and four boards.

Graduate student Dana Petersen hit a layup to give the Panthers a quick lead which they extended to five points, 9-4, capped by a basket from Smith at 14:47. The Panthers' lead fluctuated with the largest margin of seven points, 30-23, realized with 3:55 remaining in the half. NYIT rattled off six unanswered points to close to within one, but Adelphi rallied on a 4-0 run to take a 34-30 lead into the locker room.

The Panthers continued to hold a slight lead through the first ten minutes before the Lady Bears managed their first lead of the night on an Emily Bolling layup at 9:08, 46-45. NYIT pushed its margin to three points before a steal and layup by Manetta sparked a 7-0 Panther run capped by a three-point basket from graduate studentValentina Ionova, with 1:30 remaining in regulation, 54-50. The Lady Bears fought back with Brittany Smith notching the game-tying jumper with ten seconds on the clock. Adelphi was unable to sink its last basket as they game went into overtime.

After trading baskets and knotting the score twice more in overtime, Adelphi went ahead for good at 1:46 on a layup by Lepore , who accounted for five of the Panthers last nine points. Manetta sank the final four shots from the charity stripe to seal the win.

The Lady Bears were led by Smith with 13 points and six rebounds. Anette Johansen had ten points and a game-high nine boards.

Next up, Adelphi begins a three-game road trip at Concordia College on Saturday, December 2, with tip-off scheduled 3:00 p.m.