Box Score Worcester, Mass. - The Adelphi University women's basketball team erased a 15-point halftime deficit and rallied back within three points of #17 Assumption College, but the Panthers' comeback fell just short in the 75-72 loss in Northeast-10 Conference action at Laska Gym on Saturday. Adelphi falls to 2-5 overall and 1-4 in NE-10 play, while the Greyhounds remain perfect at 7-0 and 5-0 in league competition.

Sophomore Jessica Kitrys had a season-high 19 points in the contest, including 11 in the second half, and classmate Shannon Flynn had 12 points on 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc. Freshman Kelly Mannix had 11 points while sophomore Sade Jackson had an equal amount off the bench, and junior Kara Tancredi had 10 points including a layup in the final seconds and the ensuing free throw to bring the Panthers within three points.

For Assumption, Katy Howard and Kelly Meredith led all scorers with 22 points each on a combined 15-of-25 from the field and 13-of-15 from the free throw line. Sabrina Siciliano added 18 points and eight rebounds while sinking 8-of-9 foul shots.

The Greyhounds never trailed in the contest and opened up a double-digit 20-10 lead just over seven minutes after the opening tipoff. A 3-pointer by Meredith with just under a minute to go in the half gave Assumption its largest lead of the day, but Kitrys laid in her third bucket of the game to make the halftime score 40-25 in favor of the Greyhounds.

Assumption held the Panthers at bay throughout the first few minutes of the second half, but a Jackson layup sparked a 14-3 Adelphi run that brought the visitors within eight points midway through the period. Freshman Jenna Halaby hit a pair of free throws and Flynn drained two 3-pointers during the run that saw the score narrow to 54-46, then Tancredi and Halaby made back-to-back shots to make it a four point game. Siciliano interupted the rally briefly with a layup, but Kitrys converted a basket in the paint on a feed by Jackson, only to have Jackson steal the ball on the following Assumption possession to set up Kitrys for another layup that brought Adelphi within two, 56-54.

The Greyhounds extended their lead to nine points with 2:29 to play on three Howard jumpers, only to have Flynn swish another trey followed by layups by Mannix and Jackson to make it 68-66 with 1:25 to go. With the Adelphi pressure on full blast, the Greyhounds found themselves at the foul line eight times in the final minutes. Much to the dismay of the Panthers, Siciliano, Howard and Tafanie Roye combined to go 7-for-8 from the line to give the Greyhounds a six point lead with 12 seconds to play.

As the final seconds ticked away, Adelphi freshman Samantha Milhaven had a 3-point attempt blocked by Meredith. Tancredi grabbed the rebound, laid it in and drew a foul as time expired, and her old-fashioned 3-point-play capped an Adelphi rally that fell just short of upsetting the nationally-ranked Greyhounds.

The Panthers return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Pace University for an NE-10 contest at 5:30 p.m.