West Liberty, WV - The Adelphi University women's basketball team, ranked No. 6 in the latest USA Today Division II national poll, traveled down to West Virginia for a New Year's Eve non-conference tilt with the Hilltoppers of West Liberty University on Wednesday. Holding the lead wire to wire, the Panthers used a 51-19 opening half to roll on to a 78=57 victory in their final game of the calendar year. The win matches their hot 12-0 start last season as the hosts fall to 6-4 overall.
Five Panthers scored in double figured in the victory, with the group led by senior
Kelly Mannix (15 points, 11 rebounds) and her seventh double-double of the season.
Anh-Dao Tran and
Sierra Clark each contributed 13 points apiece, combining for 14 rebounds in the non-conference win.
Calli Balfour returned to the court with 12 points and
Samantha Brenner collected a career-high 11 points. Leading the hosts was junior Kierra Simpson, who posted a team-high 14 points despite the loss.
A
Jenna Halaby jumper just 59 seconds into the contest kicked off the day for Adelphi, and the Brown and Gold never relinquished the lead. Jumping out to a quick 7-2 lead courtesy of a Mannix jumper the Toppers cut the lead to just two from a Liz Flowers three-pointer. A 28-4 run over the next 11 minutes in favor of the Panthers, would quickly put a 35-11 score in lights. The Brown and Gold squad shot just over 50 percent from the field in the first half alone to head into the locker room with a 51-19 lead.
Brenner's jumper 30 seconds into the second half gave her a career high 11 points and increaesed the Panther lead to 34, 53-19. With 13:10 on the clock, a jumper by Jen Mohney had the Hilltoppers trailing by 28, 58-30. The No. 6 Adelphi squad went on to score 20 more points, but not before West Liberty tried to come back with a 27-point effort of their own for a final score of 78-57.
The team returns to the northeast and conference play on Saturday, January 3 as they travel to Syracuse, New York to take on the Le Moyne College Dolphins at 1:30 p.m.
