The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team came alive late in its home opener, Wednesday, Nov. 29 at the Rothman Center, en route to a 63-48 win over Lafayette College. Freshman forward Christy Altamirano (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) tallied a game-high 16 points, in addition to hauling down nine rebounds, as the Knights improved to 2-3 on the season.
FDU struck first, before Leopards' (2-4) senior guard Kara Stetler (Mechanicsburg, PA/Trinity) canned a three-ball to jump ahead, 3-2. Junior guard Shanay Freeman (Laurelton, NY/Towsend Harris) (Laurelton, NY/Towsend Harris) fed Altamirano in the post to regain the lead.
Altamirano spotted up from behind the arc on back-to-back possessions, pushing the Knights to a 12-7 advantage at the 16:23 mark. A trey by guard Jessica Spicer (Bloomington, IL/Central Catholic) slightly more than a minute later cut Lafayette's deficit to 14-10.
Junior guard Megan Kirkland (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) popped a high-arcing fade away from 10-feet to shift the Knights to a double-digit advantage, 20-10, with 12:38 remaining. Freshman guard Jordan Sykes (Avalon, NJ/Holy Spirit) (Avalon, NJ/Holy Spirit) jumped a pass at the top of the key, drove the length of the floor and dished to Freeman for an easy deuce at the 9:28 mark, creating a 24-13 contest.
Stetler drained a three-ball at 8:11, triggering a 12-2 Leopards run to end the half.
“We started strong, but got cold,” Head Coach Sandy Gordon said. “Our goal was to get to the 1-and-1 early, but we didn't capitalize until the second-half.”
The Knights held a 26-25 lead at halftime on the strength of 18 turnovers by Lafayette. Altamirano registered nine points and five boards in the initial 20 minutes, while senior guard Gayle Coats (Richmond, VA/Gertrude) (Richmond, VA/St. Gertrude) added four steals. Leopards forward Brittany Van de Venter (Tannersville, PA/Pocono Mountain East) went 5-for-5 from the charity stripe in the half, en route to a team-high 15 points and six rebounds for LU on the evening.
Lafayette took the lead, 27-26, in the early goings of the second stanza before junior forward Jennifer Walkling (Westminster, MD/Westminster) (Westminster, MD/Westminster) netted a left-handed runner in the lane with 17:06 remaining. Spicer splashed home a jumper from long-range at the 15:21 mark, as the Leopards took a 32-30 lead.
Sykes jarred the ball loose, going coast-to-coast for a bucket, tying the game, 32-32, at12:08. Junior forward Mercedez Walker (Stratford, CT/Bunnell) (Stratford, CT/Bunnell) knocked down two opportunities from the line, followed by a deep three-pointer by Kirkland with 10:46 remaining, shifting FDU out in front, 37-32.
A pair of free throws by Van de Venter with 9:24 on the clock ended a 7-0 surge by the Knights. On Lafayette's next two possessions, Stetler hit a pair of three-pointers ? one as the shot clock expired ? drawing the Leopards to within one possession, 43-40.
Kirkland knifed a pass through two defenders destined for Freeman who pump-faked and converted the lay-in with 6:17 left, extending Fairleigh Dickinson's lead to seven, at 47-40. Altamirano and Walker punctuated a 12-2 spurt with second-chance points on the offensive glass. Kirkland kept the pressure on with another trifecta, followed by two foul shots, as the Knights opened up a 57-44 stronghold.
Freeman finished with 14 points, while Kirkland chipped-in 10 points.
“It was nice to see Megan and Shanay hit some big shots for us to get their confidence back,” said Gordon.
FDU concluded the night on a 20-8 run to seal the victory.
“Our goal is to protect our house and tonight we did that,” Gordon said. “We aimed to get our transition game going and we rode that for 31 points off 30 turnovers.”
Spicer and Stetler both finished with 12 points for Lafayette.
The Knights host The University of Maryland ? Baltimore County at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 2.
