The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team lost, 77-65, at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, Monday, Jan. 21. Despite only allowing one field goal in the final 6:49, the Knights dropped to 7-11 overall and 3-4 in the Northeast Conference, as the Pioneers shot 22-for-27 from the charity stripe.
Freshman guard Alisa Apo put up a game-high 24 points and junior guard Khalia Cain went for 18 to pace Sacred Heart (12-7 overall, 7-1 NEC). Junior center Kaitlin Sowinski chipped-in a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards.
Senior forward Jennifer Walkling (Westminster, MD/Westminster) poured in 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds ? both team-highs ? while sophomore forward Christy Altamirano (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) and freshman guard Jasymra Saunders each posted nine points.
“Sacred Heart is a great team at home and we played them very aggressive,” Head Coach Peter Cinella said. “We out-scored them from the field and that's not easy to do at their home court. I'm proud of the way we battled in the second-half ? out-scoring and out-rebounding them.”
FDU ? who only went to the line twice on the evening ? scored the night's first hoop, with Walkling striking down low. The Pioneers went on a 9-0 push, before freshman guard Jenna Strich spotted up from long-range with 16:40 remaining.
Sacred Heart Apo nailed a trey, triggering five-straight points by the home-standing squad, before Altamirano hit a one-handed runner in the lane. With 11:20 left, Apo converted an old-fashioned three-point play to punctuate a 7-0 run by the Pioneers and create a 21-7 contest.
The Knights cut the deficit to 28-18, as freshman guard Alyssa Mayrose (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) went baseline for a lay-in, followed by an offensive board and subsequent put-back by Altamirano off glass. Senior center Mercedez Walker (Stratford, CT/Bunnell) capped the 7-0 surge, stepping into a three-ball from the right wing at the 6:06 mark.
SHU Sowinski dropped in three-consecutive buckets to spark a 10-0 response and ultimately a 38-18 advantage.
Fairleigh Dickinson ended the initial 20 minutes by recording seven-straight points. Walkling ended a 4:26 drought from the field with a turnaround on the right block with 1:40 remaining. Strich drained a trifecta on the ensuing possession and senior guard Megan Kirkland (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) rattled home a mid-range jumper as time expired.
The count was 38-25 at the break, in favor of the Pioneers ? who shot 50% from the floor. Cain tallied 13 points, while Apo added 10. Walkling scored eight points, with Strich chipping-in six.
The Knights started the second-half with an 8-2 push, slicing the deficit to single-digits. Saunders made good on a pair of buckets ? making it a 40-33 contest ? before Apo struck from deep at the 16:34 mark.
An 11-0 run by the Pioneers that concluded with 11:48 left padded the margin. Altamirano knocked down a three-pointer, then Kirkland and Walker followed suit from downtown.
Aided by the shooting from behind the arc, FDU strung together a 13-3 burst to draw to 60-49 with 8:57 remaining.
Fairleigh Dickinson hosts Wagner College at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 26 in Hackensack, NJ.
