Dec. 1, 2007

Box Score

Old Westbury, N.Y. - Junior Lisa Manetta's 19 points led the Adelphi University women's basketball team to a 72-64 win over NYIT this afternoon. The Panthers improve to 3-2 and 2-0 in the ECC, while the Lady Bears fall to 1-3 and 0-2 in conference play.

Senior Gianna Smith collected 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Senior Mary Lepore contributed 18 points, including 11-of-12 from the free throw line. Junior Serita Lee pulled down 10 boards to go along with four points and three assists.

NYIT jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead in the opening minutes before Adelphi responded on a 7-0 run capped by a trifecta from Manetta. The Lady Bears pulled ahead again briefly before back-to-back three pointers from Lepore and freshman Lekesha Harris put the Panthers up for good. A layup from junior Jasmine Travers gave Adelphi a 10 point lead, 33-23, at 3:29. The Panther maintained this margin at the half, 41-31.

The Lady Bears picked up the pace on a 12-4 run to start the second half, and closed the gap to four points, 45-41, at 15:16. The Panther offense rallied, outscoring its host, 18-7 over the next six minutes to push their lead to 17, 65-48, with 9:03 remaining in regulation. Then Adelphi went cold, connecting on just 1-of-9 from the field. NYIT took advantage of the lapse and closed on a 16-8 run. However the Panthers lead was to great as they picked up their second straight win.

Adelphi shot 38.2 percent from the field, compared with 33.3 for the Lady Bears. It was a physical contest that saw a combined 49 fouls and 63 trips to the free throw line. Adelphi connected on 64.7 percent (22-34) while NYIT faired much better at 82.8 percent (24-29).

The Lady Bears were led by Lauren Caggiano with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Brittany Smith and Emily Bolling had 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Adelphi returns to action on Monday, December 3, as they host Georgian Court at 7:00 p.m.