Box Score

Springfield, Mass. – The Adelphi University women's basketball team traveled to American International College for a Northeast-10 Divisional contest Tuesday evening. In their second meeting this year, the Panthers defeated the Yellow Jackets with a final score of 61-51. The win improves Adelphi's overall record to 17-5 and 11-5 in the NE-10. AIC falls to 15-8 and 9-8 in the league. 

Both teams wore special pink shirts during the warm-up before the game as part of the "Play 4 Kay" event designed to raise money for cancer research; the Women's Basketball Coaches Association has been raising money since 2007 in honor of Kay Yow, the Hall-of-Fame North Carolina State University and Team USA women's basketball coach who survived breast cancer for over two decades before passing away in 2009. 
 
Pacing the offense for Adelphi were bookends freshman Calli Balfour and senior Jessica Kitrys, who each contributed 15 points in the win. The two also combined for 18 rebounds, as Balfour completed her first double-double of the season. The Yellow Jackets were led by Krista Ferrentino who had 15, while Sydney Tepley ended the game with a team-best nine boards, but scored just one basket.
 
AIC was the first to get on the board after both teams were unable to score the first four minutes of the game. Ferrentino hit a jumper to put the Yellow Jackets up 2-0. At that point in the game,  both teams were 1-13 combined shooting from the field.  
 
Coming off an Adelphi timeout with 14:14 on the clock, a Kitrys to Samantha Milhaven combo from downtown would put the Panthers on the board 3-2. A pass from Sade Jackson to Milhaven at the 10:20 mark would bring Adelphi within one, 6-5.
 
With 8:40 to go in the half, Melanie O'Brien to Tara Flynn for three would make the score 10-8, in favor of the Yellow Jackets. Still trailing by three, 18-15, Jackson nailed a triple with 1:32 left in the half. 
 
Adelphi would head into the locker room at the half trailing by one, 19-20, as both teams committed 11 turnovers in the first twenty minutes. 
 
Just seconds into the half, Balfour stole the ball from AIC for a fast break, giving Adelphi a 21-20 lead. A foul on Balfour would send Easter to the charity stripe, giving her the chance to tie it up at 22, but a second miss would leave the Jackets trailing by one, 22-21.
 
Kitrys registered her first field goal of the game at the 13:54 mark, to stay up 25-23. At 11:20 in the second half, the Panthers would lead 29-27, on a jumper by Kitrys. Driving to the hoop, Jenna Halaby earned two chances at the line with 9:37 on the clock. She hit both and Adelphi held the lead, 33-29.
 
Kitrys found Nuss for three to break up the momentum of the Jackets, and the Panthers pushed ahead 40-36.  After back-and-forth possessions, Jackson drove hard to the right side for an easy layup to maintain the lead, 44-39. Balfour completesd her first double-double at the 1:55 mark, scoring her tenth point, to accompany her 12 rebounds at that time.

Up Next
The squad returns to action on Saturday, February 15 as they host Southern Connecticut State University at 1:30 p.m. in the Center for Recreation and Sports.