NEW HAVEN, Conn.- No. 7 Southern Connecticut women's basketball defeated No. 10 Adelphi, 72-66, in it Northeast 10 Conference Championship First Round matchup at James Moore Field House. With the win, the Owls improve to 18-10 on the year and will advance to the NE10 Championship Quarterfinals. The Owls will head to Worcester, Mass. to face tournament No. 2 seeded Assumption on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m.

The Owls had four shooters who notched double digits in points. Isabella Santoro (Durham, Conn.) scored 18 points and had 11 rebounds for to record a double-double the fourth time this season. She has recorded a double-double in the last two games for the Owls. Delaney Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) notched 14 points and went 4-for-6 from three point range while Zoe Amalbert tabbed 13 points. Katie Williamson (Dublin, Ireland) scored 13 points while collecting seven rebounds. 

The first quarter displayed back-to-back scoring action from both teams as they fought for the lead. The Owls began strong off of layups to put Southern on the board by Isabella Santoro, Katie Williamson and Ashley Evans (Londonderry, N.H.), 6-0. Adelphi responded by notching seven straight points to overtake Southern, 7-6, just six minutes in. The Owls and Panthers tied up the score once again with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter, 13-13. The Owls tallied eight points in the remaining minutes from three-pointers by Delaney Haines (Portland, Me.) and Delaney Connors along with a layup from Renza Milner (Carlsbad, Calif.) to put the score at 21-13. 

The Adelphi Panthers began to edge the Owls at the beginning of the second quarter. Just four minutes in Adelphi came just one point behind the Owls, 24-23, and did so again with four minutes remaining, 29-28. The Owls did not falter under the pressure and proceeded to score six more points to solidify their lead, 35-28. In the first half, Santoro led the way for the Owls with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals. Connors converted nine points and had three assists. 

The second half sprung way for the Owls where they went on an 11 point run to gain an 18 point advantage before the Panthers responded, 46-28. Southern hit their largest lead of 19 points with two minutes remaining. Zoe Amalbert notched seven points in the third quarter alone. 

Southern finished out the fourth quarter without a doubt. Santoro drained eight points in the second half to bring her total up to 18 points to lead the Owls. Adelphi attempted to lessen the scoring gap, but there was not enough time. The game finished at 72-66. 

The Owls return to action on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. to face the No.2 seeded Assumption in Worcester, Mass.