The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team fell, 83-68, on the campus of Robert Morris University in Moon Township, PA, Monday, Feb. 5. Junior forward Jennifer Walkling (Westminster, MD/Westminster) (Westminster, MD) paced the Knights (7-14, 4-7 NEC) with 22 points and nine boards. The Colonials had three players notch double-doubles, en route to tallying 17 second-chance points and improving to 15-6 overall and 9-2 in the Northeast Conference.
Walkling ? who matched her career-high in scoring ? dropped in FDU's first three buckets before senior guard Gayle Coats (Richmond, VA/Gertrude) (Richmond, VA) drained a three-pointer with 15:24 remaining to take a 9-8 advantage.
The Knights beat the full-court press as senior forward Mercedez Walker (Stratford, CT/Bunnell) (Stratford, CT) dished to freshman forward Christy Altamirano (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) (Bayonne, NJ) on the break for a deuce and a 13-12 lead. Altamirano notched an offensive put-back, followed by a jumper just inside the arc by junior guard Shanay Freeman (Laurelton, NY/Towsend Harris) (Laurelton, NY), capping a 6-0 surge to take a five-point advantage.
Walker ? who posted nine points and five rebounds ? popped a spot-up from the right elbow at the 9:14 mark to regain the lead, 23-21.
Walkling ended a 12-0 Robert Morris run with a lay-up in transition ? ending a 4:34 scoring drought ? and creating a 33-25 deficit.
The Knights ? who were out-rebounded by nine rips in the initial 20 minutes and 13 in the contest ? trailed at halftime, 43-31, despite 10 points and four boards by Walkling. The RMU post tandem of Chinata Nesbit (Washington, DC) and Sugeiry Monsac (Villa Maria, Dominican Republic) teamed for 26 points and 13 rebounds. Monsac tallied 14 and eight, while Nesbit added 12 and five.
Sophomore forward Katie Warehime (Littlestown, PA/Littlestown) (Littlestown, PA) ? who scored eight points in her first collegiate start ? knocked down a trey from straight-on at the 16:51 mark, bringing things to 51-38. Two possessions later, she banked home a turnaround attempt on the left block.
The Knights cut the margin to single-digits, 60-51, when junior guard Megan Kirkland (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) (Glen Allen, VA) connected from downtown, then Walkling went for two-straight baskets down low. Walkling struck again in the post, punctuating a 9-2 run.
Guard Psyche Butler (Fort Worth, TX) led all scorers with a double-double of 26 points ? 18 coming in the second stanza ? and 11 rebounds. Monsac finished with a double-double of 25 and 12. Nesbit recorded a double-double of 17 points, in addition to 12 rebounds.
The Knights host St. Francis College at 5:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9 at the Rothman Center. The contest is a prelude of a doubleheader versus the Terriers, as the men's squad tips-off at 7:00 p.m. Both games can be seen on Fox Sports Network ? New York.
