FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2015
Tran scores 20 in second half of 79-57 NE-10 title win over American Int’l
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The Adelphi Panthers captured their first-ever Northeast-10 Championship with a 79-57 victory over American International in the title game on Sunday afternoon at the Center for Recreation and Sport.
Anh-Dao Tran scored all 20 of her points in the second half for the Panthers, including four three-pointers, earning the NE-10 Championship Most Valuable Player award. Adelphi had five players score in double figures.
Kelly Mannix joined Tran on the All-Championship team, tallying 14 points for the Panthers. Calli Balfour also scored 14 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists for Adelphi.
The Yellow Jackets were led by Brianna Bishop (18 points) and Krista Ferrentino, who had 14 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Both Bishop and Ferrentino landed on the All-Championship team as well.
The first half played out in championship fashion with 10 leads changes and six ties with neither team growing a lead larger than four points. The Panthers held advantages in both points in the paint (20-10), as well as fast break points (10-2). However, a Kamika Mason layup with 51 seconds remaining afforded the Yellow Jackets a 30-29 halftime lead.
Mannix quickly regained the lead for the Panthers just five seconds into the second half with a corner three off the inbound. After the Yellow Jackets took back the lead, Tran propelled the Brown and Gold ahead with 10 of the team's next 12 points.
After a Bishop three-pointer cut the Panther lead to two points at 48-46, Adelphi rallied off an 11-2 spurt in a little more than four minutes. The Brown and Gold continued its momentum to an advantage as large as 20 points in the final moments and closed out the championship victory.
Jenna Halaby posted 12 points, six assists and three steals for Adelphi, while Sierra Clark added 12 points and seven rebounds.
Both teams await tonight's 10:00 p.m. NCAA Tournament Selection Show. The Panthers enter as an automatic bid with today's victory, while American Int’l waits to see if it will earn an at-large bid.
ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
Kelly Mannix, Adelphi
Anh-Dao Tran, Adelphi
Brianna Bishop, American Int’l
Krista Ferrentino, American Int’l
Aquillin Hayes, New Haven
MVP: Anh-Dao Tran, Adelphi
Additional reporting provided by the Adelphi sports information staff.
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
