Syracuse, N.Y. – Senior guard Vandell Andrade (Cranston, R.I./St. Mary's-Bay View/Rhode Island College) made a free throw with 6.5 seconds left to give the Le Moyne College women's basketball team a 56-55 victory over Adelphi University on Wednesday night in Northeast-10 Conference action at Ted Grant Court. With the victory, the Dolphins clinch a berth in the Northeast-10 Championship for the third consecutive season.

Andrade finished the game with 15 points and a game-best 12 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season, the fourth-most in the Northeast-10. Senior forward Maggie Brown (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland) registered a game-high 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds.

Ashley Gomez and Sierra Clark each tallied 14 points in the loss for the Panthers, while Gomez grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists and Clark registered six rebounds.

The teams went back and forth over the opening eight minutes of the game before the Dolphins got three points from senior guard Lauren Salzbrenner (Sheboygan, Wis./Sheboygan North) over two possessions to take a 13-9 lead with 54 seconds left in the opening quarter.

The Panthers tallied the final five points of the quarter on a three-pointer and a jumper by Lauren Nuss to take a 14-13 lead.

After the Dolphins scored the first four points of the second quarter, the Panthers tallied the next five for a 19-17 edge with 6:18 left. Le Moyne regained the lead with six of the next eight points, but Adelphi put together another 5-0 spurt to take its largest lead of the game.

Andrade and Brown combined for the final six points of the half for the Dolphins as Le Moyne tallied six of the last eight points for a 29-28 lead at halftime.

The lead changed sides four times over the opening 4:36 of the third quarter and the game became tied for the eighth time on a free throw by Clark with 4:57 remaining.

Le Moyne recorded the next five points to take a 38-33 lead with 1:08 left. Andrade scored the first two points, Brown followed with a free throw and then sophomore forward Corinne Poitevien (Bardonia, N.Y./Paramus Catholic (N.J.)) made two free throws in separate trips to the foul line.

Samantha Brenner got the Panthers within 38-35 at the end of the quarter with a jumper with six ticks left.

After Brown recorded a conventional three-point play to start the fourth quarter, the Panthers netted six straight points to tie the game at 41 with 6:56 left as Calli Balfour made a pair of shots around a lay-up by Gomez.

The Dolphins responded with seven consecutive points to take the largest lead of the game. Freshman guard Melanie Quijano (San Diego, Calif./Horizon Christian) started the run with a three-pointer, Brown followed with two free throws and then sophomore forward Joanna Dobrovosky (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) made a lay-up with 4:22 to play.

After the teams split the next 10 points over 2:37, the Panthers tallied five straight points and nine of the next 11 to tie the score with seven seconds left. Gomez accounted for the first five points, all of which came at the foul line. Following a Brown free throw with 20 seconds left, Gomez made a jumper with 17 seconds left to get the Panthers within 54-53. Brown pushed the margin to two with 14 seconds left, but Clark answered with a lay-up with 7.5 seconds to play to tie the score for the 10th and final time.

Andrade received the ensuing inbounds pass and drew a foul with 6.5 seconds left. After missing the first free throw, she converted the second to put the Dolphins back in front, 56-55. Balfour had a look from the right wing, but her three-pointer caromed off the rim to seal the Le Moyne victory.

Le Moyne (13-11, 10-8 NE-10), which can claim the second seed in the NE-10 Championship and a home quarterfinal game (February 28) with a victory in either of its last two games, is back in action on Saturday at Southern Connecticut State University at 1:30 p.m.