Reading, Pa. - Another strong weekend for the Adelphi University women's bowling team in Pennsylvania ended in somewhat heartbreaking fashion on Sunday, as the Panthers finished runner-up to Duquesne University in the final match of the Golden Bear Classic in a winner-take-all seventh game.
In a decisive best-of-seven series in the championship match on Sunday, the two teams each posted three wins to head to a final game, where the Dukes posted a one-pin decision, 185-184, to defend its title.
The finish shouldn't take away from a banner weekend for the 11th-ranked team in the nation overall. Adelphi went 11-2 over the course of the weekend, including 9-1 in Baker action over the first two days, and placed two bowlers on the All-Tournament team thanks to total frame average.
Prior to the start of the tournament, the Panthers rose two spots to just outside the NCAA Top 10 in the latest edition of the National Tenpin Coaches' Association's (NTCA) national rankings released before the start of the tournament on Thursday.
Senior
Rebecca Gotterbarn posted a frame average of 19.52, second to tournament MVP Jessica Davies of Franklin Pierce (19.86) to earn inclusion on the All-Tournament First Team, while
Skylar McGarrity's frame average of 18.95 earned her a Second Team selection. To earn inclusion on the team, players needed to contest at least 80 of the 100 frames bowled over the first 10 matches.
In Baker play on Friday, Adelphi went 4-1 in its five matches, twice breaking the 1,000-pin plateau in a pair of wins. The Panthers defeated New Jersey City and St. Peter's College before falling to Morgan State by less than 40 pins, but bounced back to defeat Caldwell and Duquesne to finish the day on a winning note.
Saturday's matches saw the Brown and Gold post a clean sweep, defeating Wilmington (Del.), Franklin Pierce, Mount Aloysius, Coppin State and St. Francis (Pa.) to lead the stage for Saturday's winner's bracket. A second win over the SFU Red Flash put Adelphi into the final, but the Dukes battled their way through on the other side en route to the final.
The Panthers will head west for their next tournament of the winter, as they head to Houston, Texas to compete in the SFA Stormin' Ladyjack Classic hosted by Stephen F. Austin over the weekend of Feb. 16-18.
About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past eight seasons, has collected 25 regular season conference titles, 26 tournament championships, 33 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup four times (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), while winning six NCAA Division II National Championships.
For the latest on Adelphi University Athletics, follow the Panthers at www.aupanthers.com or via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat.
