The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team was shocked via a second half comeback on the campus of Bryant University in Smithfield, RI, Saturday, Feb. 21. The Knights were out-scored 39-21 over the final 20 minutes and ultimately fell, 59-53.
FDU slipped to 9-17 overall, despite forward Christy Altamirano (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) finishing with the ninth double-double of her junior campaign, going for 16 points and a game-high 12 rips. Freshman guard Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) added a game-best 19 points ? her eighth-consecutive double-digit scoring performance ? with 13 coming in the second half.
Sophomore swing guard Alyssa Mayrose (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) fell one point shy of tallying her third-straight double-double (nine points and 12 rebounds). Senior center Shenika Chang (New York, NY/Park West) compiled six points and eight rebounds.
Bryant (10-16) upped his home record to 6-2 on the year, and reached the .500 mark against Northeast Conference programs (5-5). FDU's host was paced by a tandem of team-highs courtesy of junior forward Kelsey O'Keefe: 12 points and seven boards. Senior guard Cara Johnson registered 11 points, five boards, and five assists.
A total of 10 Bryant student-athletes etched their names into the scoring column on the afternoon. Fairleigh Dickinson was bested by 10 points in the paint, while facing a 26-9 hole in disadvantage scoring.
“I thought we came out and played one our best halves of the year in the first half ? we did a great job defensively, taking command,” Head Coach Peter Cinella said. “Bryant came out in the second half and attacked the basket well. We just needed to hit more shots to start the second half.”
The Bulldogs ? who went 11-for-24 at the charity stripe ? struck first, but Altamirano responded with back-to-back three-pointers. Mayrose crashed the offensive glass and netted a put-back, bringing the count to 10-4 in favor of FDU with 16:02 remaining.
The pace slowed, with both teams notching one field goal each over a span of 5:50. Bryant sophomore guard Lindsey Hudspeth proceeded to knock down a trey, chopping the deficit to 12-11 at the 10:17 mark.
Fairleigh Dickinson's zone defense forced a pair of low percentage shots, followed by junior Jordan Sykes (Avalon, NJ/Holy Spirit) engineering a seven-point outburst in just over a minute. She found Chang inside for a deuce, and on the following trip down the hardwood, the guard flipped a pass to Mayrose, who connected from downtown. Sykes capped the brief burst by swishing an off-balanced runner in the lane, as the Knights held command, 26-17, with 3:21 left.
Cinella's squad concluded the initial 20 minutes on a 16-5 push spanning 8:09. FDU claimed a 32-20 advantage by the break, while Altamirano scored 12 points and Mayrose added seven points and eight boards. O'Keefe countered with six points and four rebounds.
The second stanza opened with a 10-0 run by the home-standing squad, triggered by O'Keefe spinning through the paint for a bucket. Laury nailed a three-ball from the right wing to halt a 5:10 scoring drought and create a five-point margin, 35-30.
Bulldogs' sophomore guard Kristin Mraz hit from behind the arc, knotting things at 35 with 13:50 on the clock. Minutes later, Mraz spotted up for three again, amidst Bryant extending its edge to a 44-38 count.
Fairleigh Dickinson chipped away to 44 up, with Chang banking home a turnaround effort at the 6:49 mark. However, the Bulldogs rebutted with seven unanswered points, capped with a trifecta off the fingertips of Johnson.
Laury rattled home a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to 53-49 with 1:36 remaining. Two steals by the Bulldogs over the final 90 seconds sealed the contest.
Prior to tip-off, Bryant recognized current FDU Assistant Coach Mary McConnell, a 2004 Bryant graduate and Bulldogs women's hoops standout. McConnell's name graces the program's record books eight times (in eight different categories), while scoring over 1,100 points in her career.
FDU returns to action in Hamden, CT, Monday, Feb. 23. The Knights take on Quinnipiac University at 7:00 p.m.
