The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team was defeated, 64-29, on the campus of Long Island University, Saturday, Dec. 8 in Brooklyn, NY. The Knights slipped to 2-6 overall and 0-1 in the Northeast Conference, while the Blackbirds improved to 8-2 overall and 1-0 in the NEC.
Senior forward Jennifer Walkling (Westminster, MD/Westminster) (Westminster, MD) led Fairleigh Dickinson with eight points and 11 rebounds.
Senior forward Nikki Lockhart (Rochester, NY/Nazareth Academy) (Rochester, NY) subbed in and registered a bucket on her first trip down the court. Moments later, FDU jumped ahead for the only time on the afternoon at the 15:02 mark, 8-7, following a steal and a lay-in by freshman guard Alyssa Mayrose (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) (Freehold, NJ).
The Blackbirds went on a 7-0 run, with sophomore guard Valerie Nainima (Suva, Fiji) accounting for all seven points. The reigning NEC Player of the year would ultimately pour in nine-straight for Long Island.
Senior guard Megan Kirkland (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) (Glen Allen, VA) created a 14-11 contest and halted a 3:10 Fairleigh Dickinson scoring drought, swishing an attempt from behind the arc with 11:52 remaining.
LIU put together a 17-0 surge, with sophomore guard Connie James (Galloway, NJ) and freshman forward Chelsi Johnson (Egg Harbor Township, NJ) both dropping in five. Senior center Mercedez Walker (Stratford, CT/Bunnell) (Bunnell, CT) ended the run with a deuce down low with 2:00 left.
The Knights trailed, 42-17, at halftime, with Long Island concluding the initial 20 minutes on a 24-2 push. The Blackbirds notched 10 assists in the opening stanza, with Nainima recorded 19 points ? going 7-for-11 from the field.
LIU opened the second-half with a 7-2 run ? highlighted by a trifecta from senior guard Mikaelar Whippy (Siva, Fiji) ? en route to out-scoring Fairleigh Dickinson, 22-12.
“We had the tempo the first 10-to-12 minutes, but they turned it on and proved why they were the best team in the conference last season,” Head Coach Peter Cinella said. “We failed to run a lot of our stuff. If you're not going to shoot the ball well, then you must defend and we didn't do that.”
Mayrose led the Knights' bench scoring with a pair of field goals. Fairleigh Dickinson shot just over 21%.
Nainima finished with a game-high 21 points, in addition to her seven boards. Johnson hauled down a game-best 13 rebounds. James recorded nine points, seven assists and five boards.
FDU hosts Manhattan College at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 15 at the Rothman Center in Hackensack, NJ.
