FAIRFIELD, CT - The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team fell to Sacred Heart University, 83-55, in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament on Saturday, March 4 at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, CT. Senior guard Krissy Suckow (/Mt. St. Mary Academy) paced the Knights (10-18) with a team-high 11 points.
The Pioneers (24-4) opened the game on a 5-0 run, as guard Nicolle Rubino scored SHU's opening eight points, including two treys. The senior dropped in 17 points in the first-half, en route to a game-high 19.
Suckow drained a three-pointer at 17:34 to cut the early deficit to 8-5. However, the Pioneers responded with five-consecutive points.
Sophomore point guard Megan Kirkland (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) popped a pull-up jumper at the elbow to end a 6:43 scoring drought. On FDU's ensuing possession, Suckow converted and old-fashioned three-point play with 10:25 remaining to cut Sacred Heart's lead to 15-10.
Rubino splashed home an attempt from downtown, beginning a stretch of seven-straight points at the 8:43 mark, before knocking down two free throws to shift Sacred Heart ahead, 22-10.
Junior forward Mercedez Walker (Stratford, CT/Bunnell) notched a hoop and the foul, hitting the free throw with 5:13 remaining, to draw the Knights to within single-digits at 25-18.
Sacred Heart held a 39-21 advantage at halftime, going on a 14-3 surge to conclude the first-half. The Knights went to the charity stripe on two occasions, compared to the Pioneers' 19 attempts.
"We knew we needed to weather the storm, which we did for the first 15 minutes," Head Coach Sandy Gordon said. "Their run late in the first half gave them momentum."
Junior point guard Gayle Coats (Richmond, VA/Gertrude) opened the scoring in the second-half by knocking down two free throws. The Pioneers continued on, rattling off 13 unanswered points, pushing ahead, 52-23.
Sophomore forward Nikki Lockhart (Rochester, NY/Nazareth Academy) dropped in a lay-in at 14:43, marking Knights' first field goal of the second-half. Lockhart, who hauled down a team-best eight boards, tallied all eight of her points in the final 20 minutes.
Fairleigh Dickinson was whistled for 28 fouls, sending the Pioneers to the free throw line 39 times.
"We had a game plan to be aggressive and physical, but smart," Gordon said. "We picked up some tough fouls and we couldn't buy a call. We saw our youth today and their experience took over."
