Jan. 7, 2006

Box Score

HACKENSACK, NJ - In only the squad's second home court advantage of the season, the Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team lost to Quinnipiac University 62-53 in the Rothman Center on Saturday, Jan. 7.

Senior guard Krissy Suckow (East Brunswick, NJ) found her rhythm from behind the three-point arc, canning two three-balls in the first-half, en route to posting eight points and two steals in the half. Suckow's back court support, sophomores Megan Kirkland (Glen Allen, VA) and Shanay Freeman (Laurelton, NY), also contributed two steals each in the opening half. Suckow finished the night with 10 points and two steals, while Kirkland posted a team-high 12 points, with four rebounds and four assists. Freeman netted five points, coupled with three steals.

The contest opened with both defenses playing at high energy levels. Quinnipiac subbed often to support the intensity of its full-court press. Fairleigh Dickinson countered with a half-court zone strategy, as the Knights created 15 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. The Bobcats ended the game with 25 turnovers, compared to FDU's 22.

Sophomore forward Jen Walkling (Westminster, MD) recorded a season-high 18 minutes of floor time, dropping in eight points and five rebounds. Sophomore Nikki Lockhart (Rochester, NY) turned in a solid effort down low with four points and a team-high seven rebounds.

The Bobcats took a 29-25 lead into halftime, and pushed the advantage to eight points at 41-33 with 14:59 remaining in the game. Fairleigh Dickinson responded with a nine-point run encompassing 3:13 to trail 43-42 at the 11:46 mark.

Freshman forward Jessica Naquin (Chesterfield, VA) sparked the Knights' comeback, tallying all of her nine minutes in the second-half, posting two points and two assists. However, Quinnipiac closed out the final 3:20 on an 8-0 run.

"It's a disappointing loss," Head Coach Sandy Gordon said. "It was a game of runs and we had too many mistakes at key points, particularly turnovers at critical times. We missed too many lay-ups and in NEC basketball the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win the game."

Quinnipiac cashed in on second chance opportunities, as the Bobcats out-rebounded FDU, 47-37. Sophomore forward Monique Young (Lynn, MA led the charge as the squad's high-scorer, recording a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

The Knights play their third Northeast Conference game of the season on Monday, Jan. 9 at 7:00 pm hosting St. Francis (PA) at the Rothman Center.