New Haven, Conn. - With an uphill climb in store, the Adelphi University women's basketball team got out to a slow start on Sunday and ultimately fell 39-76 in the quarterfinals of the Northeast 10 Conference tournament to no. 2 Southern Connecticut. 

Series History:

• After dropping a pair of regular season contests to the Owls (22-5,16-2 NE10) the Panthers fell a third time to make it 10 straight losses to the Owls, dating back to the 2022 season. 
• Under Head Coach Sade Jackson, the Panthers have made the NE10 tournament in each of her five seasons, but have only advanced to the semifinal round on one occasion (2024-25). 

Highlights: 

• Victoria Morales finished with a team-leading 20 points, which included a 6-for-8 clip at the free throw line. 
• Me'Challe Cancer was the next highest scorer, with eight points and led with six rebounds and five steals. 
• Three Owls ended up in double-digit scoring, led by Taeya Steinauer, who finished with a game-high 22. 

How it Happened: 

• Near the midway point of the opening quarter the Panthers trailed by 13 following a series of turnovers and missed shots. The home team scored 18 unanswered points before Cancer broke the scoring drought, which lasted for nearly six minutes. Morales knocked down a trey at the end of the frame to make it a 13-point spread. 
• Southern Connecticut was lights out from the floor in the first 10 minutes of action, ripping off a 9-for-13 tear that put them near 70 percent from the field. 
• Following the second quarter, the Owls cooled off a bit, shooting just under 50, but put together an 18-9 frame that saw Adelphi trailing by 24 at the halftime break. 
• The Panthers held the hosts to their lowest scoring output in the third, but still trailed by 27 with one quarter of regulation left to play. 
• Gianna Chuffo got in the final basket for the seven-seed, a three pointer that cut the Owl advantage to 25, but with under two minutes to play, the deficit was too great to overcome.

Hear from Coach Jackson:

• "I am very proud of this group and what we were able to do this season. We've hit adversity all year long and have been able to bounce back. Southern Connecticut is a good team and forces you to play at an elite level for 40 minutes. Unfortunately we were unable to do that today."

Up Next:

• The team concludes the 2025-26 season with a 13-13 overall mark and an appearance in the NE10 tournament. Their season was highlighted by an undefeated December and a seven-game win streak. The Panthers were also 8-5 on their home court.