Feb. 20, 2008

Box Score

Flushing, N.Y. - Senior Mary Lepore's (Manhasset, N.Y.) basket with 3:12 left capped a 9-0 run to put the Adelphi University women's basketball team up for good to capture a 63-60 victory over Queens College on Wednesday night at Fitzgerald Gymnasium. The Panthers improve to 12-12 on the season and 10-7 in ECC play, while the Knights fall to 11-13 and 9-8.

Lepore led a balanced Panther attack with 17 points to go along with nine rebounds. Junior Lisa Manetta (Glendale, N.Y.) tallied 16 points, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Senior Gianna Smith (Hempstead, N.Y.) chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds, while junior Jasmine Travers (Gaitersburg, Md.) added 10 points.

Adelphi led early in the first half, leading by as much as 12 points. The Knights rallied back to close to within two points, 26-24, at the half. Both teams shot around 30 percent in the half, but the Panthers went to the free throw line seven times (85.7 percent) compared with just two for the Knights.

The Panthers were sluggish to start the second half, and were unable to connect with the basket for the first ten minutes of play. Queens took advantage of the lull and went ahead on three consecutive three-pointers. Adelphi was 5-for-10 from three-point land in the second half, including three in a row to move ahead of the Knights. Amanda Bartlett got QC as close as 61-60 with 1:39 left but neither team could score until Manetta nailed both free throws with 4.2 seconds left to seal win.

Queens held a slight 41-40 rebound advantage, helped in large part by Jennifer Robbins who pulled down 18 boards for the Knights.

Bartlett led all players with 24 points, while Jessica Sanchez contributed 16 points for Queens.

Adelphi returns to action on Saturday, February 23, as they travel to Dowling College for a 1:00 p.m.