Springfield, Mass. -- The top two women's basketball teams in the Northeast-10 Conference's Southwest Division went head-to-head in Tuesday's regular season finale, and it took all 40 minutes to decide a winner as American International's Destine Perry sank a fade-away three as time expired to defeat the Adelphi University Panthers, 54-51, inside Butova Gymnasium.

With the league's top two scorers and rebounders, Sierra Clark for the Panthers and Dana Watts for AIC, going head-to-head, Watts won the scoring battle, leading all scorers with 23 points on 8-17 shooting and 7-8 at the line. Clark won the battle of the boards, however, hauling in 13 to Watts' 11 and adding 17 points for her 19th double-double of the season. Julia Gnieser and Calli Balfour each net 11 points for the Brown and Gold (23-4, 18-2 NE10), with Imani Stepney scoring nine points and pulling down seven rebounds for AIC (17-9, 12-6).

Neither side edged out to a lead greater than three for nearly the duration of the first period, with Adelphi staking claim to a 13-10 lead behind consecutive buckets from Clark and Balfour out of a timeout with 2:53 remaining. However, the Yellow Jackets scored the last eight points of the frame to open up a five-point edge, 18-13 at the close of the first 10 minutes. The Panthers flipped the script in the second period, as Balfour buried a long three near the end of the shot clock to open the second, as Adelphi scored 10 of the first 12 points of the half to take a 23-20 lead at the 5:16 mark. 

With both sides going point-for-point for the rest of the half, six straight points to end the period from Clark, Balfour and Gnieser turned a one-point deficit into Adelphi's biggest lead of the half, 30-25 at the break. 

A deep three from Gnieser on Adelphi's second possession of the third period game Adelphi its largest lead of the game, 35-27, but a Rashana Siders three, just one of the two that the home team made in the contest, opened up the start of a 17-5 run over the remaining 8:29 in the third to stake AIC to a four-point lead, 44-40, headed to the fourth quarter. 

Undaunted, the Brown and Gold scored the first four points of the final period, as Gnieser sank a pair from the line and Natalie Fekula sank a left-elbow jumper to tie the game at 44-44 with 8:39 remaining, and the final quarter saw three more ties as the Yellow Jackets responded to every Adelphi lead. With the Yellow Jackets holding possession with 47 seconds to play, Balfour blocked a Perry effort and Clark pulled down the rebound, bringing Adelphi down the floor with a chance to take the lead. Out of a timeout, Balfour missed the layup attempt, giving the Yellow Jackets a chance to win the game with just 26 ticks on the clock.

Out of an AIC timeout, the Panthers played tough defense for nearly the entire possession, but Perry managed to get a deep three off before the buzzer, sinking the stepback shot as time expired for her lone make of the game to give the home team the win.

The Panthers, who clinched the top seed in the Southwest Division for the upcoming NE10 playoffs, will face the winner of the first round game between Stonehill and Southern Connecticut State at 3 pm on Sunday, Feb. 26 in the CRS.

NOTES
- The Panthers win the NE10's Southwest Division for the third time in the past four years.
- Clark's 19 rebounds leads the nation ahead of Watts, who has 18.
- Adelphi has hosted at least one NE10 playoff game in four of the past five seasons.

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About Adelphi Athletics:
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past seven seasons, has collected 20 regular season conference titles, 24 tournament championships, 29 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup three times (2013, 2014, and 2016), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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