The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team lost a hard-fought battle, 58-60, to the Red Flash of Saint Francis PA, on Saturday, Jan. 21 in Hackensack, NJ.  The Knights fall to 9-10 on the season with a 4-3 mark in Northeast Conference play, while the Red Flash improve to 7-11, with a 4-3 record in the NEC.

After trailing by 10 with five minutes to play, the Knights chipped away at the Red Flash lead.  Freshman Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) cut the deficit to two points on a layup with nine seconds to play. 

Danielle Pankey (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) grabbed a defensive rebound in the final seconds, giving the Knights the last possession of the game.  The Knights missed a chance to take the win on a three-point shot at the buzzer. 

“Saint Francis played a tremendous game,” said Head Coach Pete Cinella.  “We made a great comeback and made all the right decisions in the final three minutes of the game.”

The Red Flash took control of the game from the opening tip and compiled a 1-10 lead through the first five minutes of play.

The Knights responded with a 9-2 run midway through the half and were able to cut the lead to two points with eight minutes remaining.

Livermore and Pankey led the Knights' offense through the end of the half by responding to each of Saint Francis' baskets for a combined 12 points.  With 27 seconds to play, Pankey drove through the Red Flash defense for a layup to tie the game at 23.

The Red Flash sank two free throws with six seconds on the clock to take the lead, 23-25 at the break.

The Knights out-rebounded SFPA, 23-18 in the first 20 minutes but shot just 30.4% from the field.

Another layup by Pankey tied the game two minutes into the second half.  Although the Knights presented themselves with ten more scoring opportunities in the second half, the Red Flash capitalized on 51.9% of their shots to hold the advantage.  They continuously strung multiple baskets together to increase their lead to ten points with five minutes to play.

Livermore added six points to her point total in the final five minutes to enable the Knights to cut the lead.  Pankey, senior Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) and freshman Stephanie Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven) all added to the Knights fighting chance as well.

Livermore led the team with a game-high 18 points, while Pankey added a season-high 17.  Laury had her 15^th double-digit scoring game of the season.  Senior Esther Wallace (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central) led the Knights on the glass with nine rebounds. 

The Knights out-rebounded the Red Flash, 42-33, but were out-shot 41.1% to 33.9%. 

“We need to step up and find a way to get better to beat Robert Morris,” added Cinella. 

The Knights will resume NEC action on Monday, Jan. 23 with a home contest against Robert Morris University.  Tip-off at Stratis Arena is slated for 7:00 pm