Box Score

Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University women's basketball team nearly squandered a 15-point second half lead but managed to hold on for the non-conference win over Queens College at the Center for Recreation and Sport on Wednesday evening. The Panthers trailed only twice in the contest and never surrendered the lead after the ninth minute of the first half, but the Knights did all they could to sneak back in the game as the final minutes ticked away. Queens forced a 57-57 tie and had possession with 2:43 to go, but a timely steal by Sade Jackson led to a fast break layup by Amanda Campusano that gave Adelphi the momentum to hang on. The Panthers improve to 4-6 on the season, while the Knights slip to 1-7 overall. 

For Adelphi, junior Kara Tancredi posted a season-high 19 points and senior Amanda Campusano scored 14 points, nine of which came in the second half. Sophomore Jessica Kitrys continued her double-digit scoring streak, dropping in 10 points to give her six straight games in double figures.

For Queens, Nicole Caggiano tied Tancredi for the game-high point total with 19, and Cadie Chu scored 16 points and dished out five assists. Megan White shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and sank 4-of-5 free throws to end up with 12 points. The Knights managed to assembled a tenacious second half rally despite making just 6-of-15 foul shots and turning the ball over 24 times en rout to the defeat.

The opening minutes made for what looked to be a low-scoring affair, as Tancredi swished the game's first field goal three and a half minutes after the opening tip. Queens did not make haste finding the hoop either sans a first-minute free throw, and finally found the bottom of the net on a Caggiano 3-pointer seven minutes into the game. The slow pace gave way to a flurry of baskets by the Knights that swung the score to 9-8 in favor of the visitors, prompting both sides to revamp their offensive attack. Tancredi led the way for the hosts, scoring 10 points in the first half to give the Panthers a healthy 31-22 heading into halftime.

Adelphi came out strong in the second half, building a double-digit lead that grew as large as 15 points after a 9-0 run fueled by three Tancredi buckets. The Queens comeback began to brew, however, and a pair of Caggiano 3-pointers complimented by a Chu trey and White jumper brought the Knights within five. The visitors continued to pick away at the Adelphi lead, and capped a 7-0 run with two free throws by White to tie the game at 57-57 with 2:43 to play.

With just over two minutes to go, the Knights swung the ball around the top of the key, but Jackson anticipated a pass and intercepted the ball in mid stride. The speedy guard streaked down the court to forge a 2-on-1 fast break, and hit Campusano with a bounce pass at the last second for the easy layup. Queens refused to roll over, and Catherine Pastor fed Megan Lonergan with a lighting-quick pass on a back door cut that led to a wide open game-tying layup. With the score knotted at 59-59 with 1:48 to play, Jackson drove to the hoop and laid in the winning basket, forcing the Knights to foul repeatedly in the final minute. The Panthers held on and prevented Queens from getting a quality final shot, sealing a 61-59 victory.

The Panthers complete their three game homestand when they host Eckered College in a non-league game on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.