The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team was defeated, 56-46, on the campus of the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY, Wednesday, Jan. 7. After winning back-to-back games, the Knights fell to 4-8 overall after Army posted a 24-10 advantage in the paint.
FDU staged a passionate run late, popping off for 13-1 spurt. Yet Head Coach Peter Cinella's squad was unable to overcome 13 first half turnovers. By the same token, Army jumped out to an 18-6 edge on the boards over the first 12:30 of the second half and finished with a 28-13 stronghold in the period.
Freshman guard Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) recorded a game-high 15 points, while sophomore guard Alyssa Mayrose (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) collected 13 points. Laury went for 11 in the second half, with Mayrose dropping the same number in the first period.
Junior forward Christy Altamirano (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) paced Fairleigh Dickinson on the glass for a third-consecutive time with eight rebounds, flanked by eight points. Freshman center Esther Wallace (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central) contributed a pair of blocks.
The Black Knights improved to 9-5 overall and 5-1 at Christl Arena. Sophomore guard Nalini Hawkins scored all 13 of her team-leading points in the second stanza. Sophomore forward Erin Anthony added a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
“We put together a scrappy comeback at the end, and did a good job getting to the basket during the closing minutes,” Cinella said. “Army is a good team and tonight they showed they are a solid offensive unit.”
Army began the evening on a 7-0 run, before FDU notched six-straight points. Altamirano capped the rebuttal with a fast break lay-in where Mayrose led the break and picked up the assist.
Black Knights' sophomore swing guard Laura Baranek opened up a 12-8 margin with an uncontested three-ball as the shot clock expired ? representing her seventh-straight point for the home-standing squad.
Mayrose snuck around a screen and knocked down an effort from downtown to erase a double-digit deficit and create a 21-14 contest with 7:57 remaining. Two possessions later, the sophomore sparked a 5-0 push by swishing another trey and made it a four-point hole.
However, Army netted four field goals and 11 points during the final 4:45 of the first half, compared to Fairleigh Dickinson's one field goal ? a third triple by Mayrose. The Knights trailed 34-23 by the break. The home team shot 50.0% from the floor, as Anthony and Baranek went for seven points a piece.
After an early Fairleigh Dickinson bucket to start the second stanza, Army rattled off 12-unanswered points, en route to a 44-25 command at the 13:48 mark. Laury broke a 7:41 scoreless drought with three-pointer from the right corner. Then both offenses went stagnant.
Amidst a late 8-0 surge, freshman forward Amy Longo (Pittsburgh, PA/North Catholic) splashed home a field goal from behind the arc, and the Knights ultimately trailed, 52-38, with 5:07 remaining. Four-straight from the line by Laury sliced things to single-digits, 53-46, at the 1:56 mark.
FDU's defense clamped down over the final 6:07, while not forcing their Patriot League opponent to the charity stripe until the final minute. During that span, they limited their host to zero field goals.
Fairleigh Dickinson travels to New Britain, CT, Saturday, Jan. 10 for a Northeast Conference contest versus Central Connecticut State University. Tip-off against the Blue Devils ? who are unbeaten in league action ? is set for 2:00 p.m.
