The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team was taken down, 71-57, Saturday, Jan. 10 versus first place Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT. Senior center Shenika Chang (New York, NY/Park West) provided a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, both season-highs, for the Knights (4-9 overall, 3-2 Northeast Conference).
The Blue Devils improved to 9-5 overall, maintaining an unblemished slate against league foes, at 4-0. Sophomore forward Leanne Crockett poured in a career-high 23 points, fueled by a stellar night from behind the arc.
“Crockett is one of those transfers who sat out last season, and they have a tendency to really get comfortable by the second half of the season,” said Head Coach Peter Cinella.
Freshman Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) tied a career-high by connecting on a nine field goals. The guard fell one point shy of her season-best scoring output, dropping 20 points. Junior forward Christy Altamirano (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) added 12 points and eight rebounds, with junior guard Jordan Sykes (Avalon, NJ/Holy Spirit) going for nine points and six assists. In addition to her highest career scoring output, Chang registered a career-best three blocks.
Before Fairleigh Dickinson got on the board, Crockett scored the afternoon's first five points. Altamirano netted the Knights' first field goal ? a turnaround in the paint. But Crockett's second three-pointer, a wide open look, pushed the count to 12-4 with 15:54 remaining.
Laury accepted an outlet pass from sophomore guard Alyssa Mayrose (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) and dropped in an uncontested lay-in to cut the deficit to 14-10. However, three treys on four possessions by the home-standing squad opened up a 23-12 margin at the 11:52 mark. Mayrose ultimately dished out a career-high six dimes.
Chang trigged a 6-0 spurt, which correlated to a five-point deficit, with an offensive put-back. Central Connecticut answered with back-to-back buckets, then Sykes stepped into an attempt from downtown and Chang rolled in a left-handed hook to make it 27-23 with 5:01 left.
An NBA-range three-ball courtesy of Blue Devils' freshman guard Shontice Simmons, as the shot clock expired, pushed things to an eight-point contest. Her launch sparked a 10-2 run by CCSU to conclude the half and produce a 40-27 halftime score.
Altamirano's eight points led Fairleigh Dickinson at the break, while Chang tallied seven rips. Conversely, Crockett's 7-of-8 shooting (five three-pointers), resulted in 19 points. The Blue Devils knocked down eight triples during the initial 20 minutes.
Early in the second half, Altamirano capped a 7-0 run with a floater from the baseline, en route to slicing FDU's hole to single-digits. The count stood at 50-42 with 13:46 remaining after Laury struck for two-straight transitional lay-ins, with Sykes picking up both feeders.
Mayrose drove the lane and banked-in an underhanded scoop. The next possession, Chang cleaned the offensive glass, and seconds later, Laury popped a jumper from the elbow ? good for a 55-50 deficit at the 8:39 mark.
Laury nailed a trifecta from the right corner, backed by an Altamirano J in the lane, to create a 57-55 contest with 5:10 left. The Blue Devils then dropped a three-hoop, and 10-0, response to seal the victory. FDU was limited to one field goal during the final 5:10.
“We cut the lead to two points by picking up the intensity on defense,” Cinella said. “From there, they just went on a run. Shenika did a really good job scoring on the block for us and made a huge contribution with a double-digit rebounding total.”
CCSU junior guard P.J. Wade notched 10 points. Sophomore forward Kerrianne Dugan amassed seven points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
Fairleigh Dickinson heads to Emmitsburg, MD, Monday, Jan. 12 to take on Mount St. Mary's University at 7:00 p.m.
