Box Score Garden City, N.Y. – The Adelphi University women's basketball team, seeded #1 in the Southwest Division, faced off against the Ravens of Franklin Pierce University, the #4 seeded team from the Northeast Division, in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Center for Recreation and Sports. After trailing at halftime, the Panthers rallied for an 81-77 victory to advance to the semifinals. With the win, the Panthers improve to 21-6 overall, while the Ravens drop to 16-12.

The Panthers were led by Jessica Kitrys, who scored a game-high 29 points behind 10-18 shooting from the field. Sade Jackson and Calli Balfour each recorded double-doubles; Balfour scored 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, while Jackson chipped in 13 points and 11 boards. Kelly Mannix was the final player in double figures with 15 points, as she shot 3-6 from behind the arc. For the Ravens, Kara Charette had 25 points and Brittany Martelle recorded 20.

Over the first three minutes of play, the Panthers opened with a 7-0 scoring run that was capped by a three from Mannix. Forced into a timeout, the Ravens responded with six straight points before Kitrys drained a pair from the charity stripe to give the Brown and Gold a 9-6 lead. As the first half clock ticked below 15 minutes, Martelle drained a three which knotted the action at 9-9.

The Ravens opened up a 17-11 lead with buckets on three straight possessions, before Kitrys broke a triple team to score for two and pull the Panthers to within four. However, the visitors would continue to hit their shots while the Panthers struggled, and the Ravens opened up a double-digit, 23-13, lead with 9:12 remaining.

A Balfour layup from underneath the basket and a three from Lauren Nuss brought the Panthers back within five at 23-18. From there, neither team could manage to score for the next three minutes until consecutive buckets from the Ravens saw their lead increase to 27-18 with 5:38 to go.

Five points off the hand of Kitrys chipped away at the deficit, but a three from Martelle restored the Ravens' lead to eight with just over three to play. Balfour converted on a three-point play to again pull the Panthers to within four, but behind furious scoring, the Ravens' lead expanded to 10, 38-28, at the 1:38 mark.

Over the final minute of action, the Panthers managed to outscore the visitors by a 7-2 margin to chip away at the lead. At the buzzer, Balfour found an open Mannix on the inside for two to bring Adelphi into the locker room down just five, 40-35, and holding the momentum.

The two squads traded scoring possessions to open the second half. From there, however, a Balfour steal led to a quick two, and a Kitrys three from the right side tied the score, 42-42. Out of a Ravens timeout, Melanie O'Brien hit a layup for two from underneath the basket to give the Panthers their first lead since early in the first half.
Six straight points for the Ravens saw them reclaim the lead, as Kitrys and Balfour combined to miss four shots from the foul line over that time. After a Kitrys three-point play again pulled Adelphi within one, the Ravens again unleashed a scoring run which saw them take a seven point, 56-49, lead with 10:03 remaining.

Kitrys continued her hot shooting from the field with another three, but again the Ravens had the answer to restore their seven point lead. After Kitrys was fouled and hit a pair from the charity stripe, Jackson converted on a three-point play to make it a one possession game, 59-57.

Adelphi and Franklin Pierce continued to trade buckets over the ensuing minutes until a
Mannix three pulled the Brown and Gold to within one, 65-64, with less than five minutes to play. Another Mannix three out of the timeout put Adelphi on top, but Franklin Pierce responded on the ensuing possession to tie the score at 67-67. After a missed three from Shannon Flynn, Jackson pulled down the offensive board and put the ball in to nudge Adelphi ahead, 69-67. The back-and-forth scoring that categorized the game continued, however, as Charette hit a pair to tie the score at 69-69.

With 2:31 left on the clock, Balfour put in a layup for two that again gave the Panthers a slim lead. However, as they had throughout the half, the Ravens responded behind a Martelle layup to again knot the score at 71-71. On the ensuing Panther possession, Kitrys pulled down the offensive board and put in the bucket for two to again put the Brown and Gold ahead, 73-71. The Panthers managed to increase their lead on the next play. After Balfour pulled down the defensive rebound and was fouled, she sank a pair from the charity stripe to put Adelphi up by four with just 1:18 to go.

After the Ravens hit a pair from the line of their own, Kitrys converted on a three-point play to put Adelphi up by five with just 16 seconds to play. Despite an attempted comeback from the Ravens, that proved to be the winning margin for the home squad. The Panthers held on to win, 81-77 and advance to the semifinals.

Up Next
The Panthers return to action on Thursday, March 6 when they welcome the Skyhawks of Stonehill College to the Center for Recreation and Sports in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm.