Rindge, N.H. -- Trailing by seven at halftime, the Adelphi University women's basketball team (#5 seed, Southwest Division) used a second-half rally -- which was anchored by a 28-16 third quarter scoring effort -- to upset the Franklin Pierce University Ravens (#4 seed, Northeast Division), 72-65, in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference tournament on Friday night. 

While the Ravens (14-14) got a game-high 34 points from senior First Team All-Conference forward Kara Charette, it was balanced scoring for Adelphi (18-11) that won out on the night. Sierra Clark's team-high 15 points in the contest all came in the second half, while Calli Balfour added 14 points and the pair tied for the team lead in rebounds with eight. Tara Flynn recorded 12 points in the contest and she, like Clark, found the shooting touch in the second half and scored 10 in Adelphi's big third period, while Ashley Gomez rounded out the quartet with 10 points. 

A Lauren Nuss three-pointer gave the Panthers a 5-4 lead at the 7:51 mark in the first quarter, before both teams went cold from the floor for nearly five minutes. Jemma Thacker gave the home team the lead back with a bucket for two with 2:49 remaining, kicking off an 8-2 run to end the period that gave the Ravens a 12-7 edge. Neither team could get an offensive streak going for much of the opening half, until a 7-0 run in the middle of the second period capped by a Thacker triple gave the Ravens a 23-13 lead and forced an Adelphi timeout with 4:56 to play until halftime. From that point, perfect free-throw shooting kept the Ravens in front, as they went 8-8 as a squad and continued to lead by 10, 31-21, with just 18 seconds remaining. With the Panthers looking to score before the break, it was Julia Gnieser who provided a spark for the Panthers off the bench. With just four ticks on the clock, the sophomore connected from downtown to put Adelphi in the locker room down by seven -- but perhaps more importantly, provided a look at what was to come in the third. 

A 12-2 run, capped by a Flynn three-pointer, to start the third period turned the game around for the Panthers and gave them their first lead since 5-4 at 36-33 with 6:28 remaining. With both teams going bucket-for-bucket at that point and getting plenty of opportunities at the free throw line, it was Flynn who stepped up for the Brown and Gold and tallied seven total points in the final 1:46 to put the momentum in the Panthers' court and push their lead to a game-high five, 52-47.

The Ravens were not about to go quietly, as a 7-0 run anchored by Charette to open the final period put the home team back in front. A Gnieser layup for two tied the game at 54-54, and three points from Sierra Schrader edged the Brown and Gold ahead once again with 6:53 to play. At this point, the Panthers went head-to-head with Charette as the senior tallied 11 points in the final period to keep her team in the game, first converting on the three-point play to knot the score again at 57-57 with 5:45 to play and making her presence felt on both ends of the floor whenever Adelphi established a lead from then on.

The deciding factor in the end for the Panthers was their success at the free-throw line, as they went 11-12 from that tie until the end of the game. With Adelphi leading by eight at 69-61 with 44 seconds to play, Daymond Gardner scored four points in a 10-second span for the home team's last stand, but Gnieser and Balfour combined to go 3-4 from the charity stripe to close the door. 

The Panthers advance to the quarterfinal round of the NE-10 Tournament, and will remain on the road as they travel to Springfield, Mass. to face the American International College Yellow Jackets, the top seeds out of the Southwest Division. The rematch of last year's NE-10 title game is scheduled for 3 pm on Sunday. 

NOTES
- Adelphi Head Coach Heather Jacobs, a 2006 alumna of the Franklin Pierce women's basketball program who retired 20th all-time in scoring, improved her career record against her alma mater to 4-6, with two wins coming in postseason play.
- The Panthers and Yellow Jackets will face off in the NE-10 postseason for the third time in four years on Sunday. The Panthers have won both postseason meetings in recent history, but the Yellow Jackets won both regular season meetings in 2015-16.

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About Adelphi University Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past six seasons has collected 16 regular season conference titles, 21 tournament championships, 27 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 President's Cup twice (2013 and 2014), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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