Box Score
New Haven, Conn. - The Adelphi University women's basketball team secured the eighth seed in the Northeast-10 Championship Tournament with a 64-49 win at Southern Connecticut State University in Tuesday's regular season finale. The Panthers enter the postseason with overall record of 14-12 and an 11-11 league tally, marking the most overall wins since 2008 and the most wins in either category under third year Head Coach
Heather Jacobs. The Owls finish the regular season 7-18 overall and 4-18 in NE-10 play.
Adelphi will host ninth-seeded American International College on Friday in the play-in round of the Northeast-10 Championship, which is the Panthers' first playoff appearance since 2008 and the first postseason bid since joining the NE-10. The Panthers topped the Yellow Jackets twice in regular season action, winning 77-73 on the road on Jan. 5 and prevailing 68-59 at home on Feb. 10.
Freshman
Lauren Nuss posted a team-high 11 points and led a balanced Adelphi offense that saw all 12 players on the roster score at least one point.
Kelly Mannix and
Sade Jackson each posted nine points while Jackson dished out five assists. The Panthers managed to win decisively despite
Jessica Kitrys being held to just three points, all of which came from the free throw line. Adelphi's leading scorer was held without a field goal for the first time since Dec. 4, 2010, when she was held scoreless against AIC as a freshman.
For the Owls, Jackie Beathea scored a game-best 13 points on 6-10 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Moni Smith-Ocran posted 11 points, Katie Stopera tallied 10 points and Danielle Powell corralled 12 rebounds. So. Connecticut shot just 39 percent (7-18) from the foul line compared to Adelphi's 60 percent mark (12-20).
The Panthers staked out a 27-18 halftime advantage despite scoring just one field goal in the final two and a half minutes. The Owls managed just one field goal in the first nine minutes of play but the Adelphi offense was equally slow, allowing So. Connecticut to reclaim the leading following a 12-2 run. The Panthers snatched the lead back on a 3-pointer by
Shannon Flynn on the way to seven unanswered points to put the visitors comfortably in front.
Adelphi rejuvenated its offense in the second half and worked a 20-point lead after 3-pointers by
Tara Flynn and Mannix on back-to-back possessions made it 64-44 with 2:07 to go. The Panthers would not score the rest of the way, but a layup and a pair of free throws would not be enough for the hosts to rally.
Friday's Northeast-10 Championship play-in game can be seen live at
www.aupanthers.tv.
Be sure to follow the Panthers on Facebook and Twitter for up to date news with all of Adelphi Athletics!
