Pleasantville, N.Y. - The Adelphi University women's basketball team's red-hot February continued on Saturday, but they were made to sweat it out.
Despite leading by 11 at halftime and by as much as 17 in the fourth quarter, the Panthers needed to hold off a mammoth comeback effort from the Pace University Setters to secure their fourth straight win, 78-72, at the Goldstein Fitness Center.
From Adelphi's game-high lead of 66-49 with 8:49 left in the fourth, the Setters ripped off a 23-8 scoring run over the next eight minutes to make it a one-possession game at 74-72, as Kelsey Quain capped the home team's barraGe with a three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining.
Nonetheless, it was
Katie Murphy's dogged effort on the glass that helped the Panthers come away with the victory, as she hauled in an offensive rebound off
Jess Camarda's missed three-pointer on the ensuing Adelphi possession to force the Setters to foul, and
Niajah Morgan and
Emily Miccile made both of their free throw at the line to ice the victory.
Five Panthers (13-11, 10-8 NE10) scored in double figures in the figure, as
Leonie Edringer paced all scorers with 18 points and 12 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season, plus three blocks, while Morgan added 15 to the cause. Miccile and Murphy each added 11, combining for nine rebounds and nine assists as well, while
Fallyn Stephens and
Julia Strachan tallied 10 and eight off the bench, respectively.
After falling behind 13-7 to start the game, the Panthers found their groove offensively, and ultimately posted their second-highest shooting percentage of the season at 54.6 percent, which included 6-for-11 from three-point range.
Following a timeout from head coach
Missy Traversi, Adelphi outscored Pace (9-16, 6-11 NE10) 15-5 to end the first quarter, and took its first lead on the back of an 8-0 spurt when trailing 15-11. Ultimately, Adelphi took a lead it never relinquished in the second period on the strength of Strachan's second triple of the game which put the Brown and Gold ahead 27-24, after Pace scored the first six points of the second to lead once more at 24-22.
Adelphi closes out its regular-season home schedule on Wednesday night inside the Center for Recreation and Sports, as it welcomes Southern Connecticut State University to Garden City for a 5:30 p.m. NE10 contest.
Prior to the game, Morgan will be honored on Senior Night as the program's lone member in the class of 2019.
About Adelphi Athletics
A regionally and nationally competitive NCAA Division II institution located in Garden City, N.Y., Adelphi University has been a proud member of the Northeast-10 Conference since 2009.
Winners of 16 NCAA Division II National Championships and four NE10 Presidents' Cups, Panther athletes have excelled at the conference, regional and national level, both on the field of play and in the classroom. In turn, the Adelphi athletic department is committed to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, equity and success where its student-athletes can thrive both on campus and off.
Stay connected with Adelphi Athletics by following the Panthers at
aupanthers.com or via social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and wear your Panther pride by shopping official Adelphi Panthers gear at
our licensed team store.
