The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team was upended 75-52, on the campus of Saint Francis University, Saturday, Feb. 28 in Loretto, PA. Despite a team-high 18 points from sophomore swing guard Alyssa Mayrose (Freehold, NJ/Freehold), the Knights dipped to 9-19 overall and 8-9 in Northeast Conference play.
Freshman guard Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) finished with 13 points; her 10th consecutive double-digit scoring output. Mayrose shot 6-for-8 from the floor, including a 3-for-4 effort from three-point land.
The Red Flash (12-16 overall, 10-7 NEC) ? who held a 10-board advantage ? used a 47-20 differential over the final 20 minutes to record their fifth victory in six outings at DeGol Arena. Conversely, FDU has been out-scored 125-63 in the second half of its last three games.
“We've been playing well in the first half of the last three games,” Head Coach Peter Cinella said. “But in those games, we've struggled in the second half ? it's a big issue. Saint Francis did a good job pressuring the ball and shot great in the second half at 60%.”
Sophomore guard Allison Daly put up a double-double that included a pair of game-highs: 20 points and 13 rebounds. She scored 13 in the second half, while freshman guard Brittany Lilley provided 14 in the same period. Lilley finished with 17 points with sophomore guard Samantha Leach chipping in 15 points.
Saint Francis put together a 24-8 effort in the paint during the second half and capitalized for 20 points off turnovers on the day. The Red Flash bench also racked up 41 points.
On the afternoon's opening possession, Mayrose swished a three-pointer. Two offensive trips later, Laury shook her defender and popped a pull-up. Junior forward Christy Altamirano (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) added a tandem from the line to open up a 7-0 lead.
Leach nailed back-to-back three-pointers to make it a 9-6 count with 16:33 remaining. Mayrose answered by hop-stepping via the baseline to spark a 6-0 run. Laury capped the brief burst with two in transition, as junior guard Jordan Sykes (Avalon, NJ/Holy Spirit) delivered a well-timed outlet pass after grabbing a defensive rebound.
Five-straight by the home-standing squad cut into a nine-point deficit. A runner courtesy of Laury broke a 4:06 scoring drought, but senior forward Whitney Robinson connected from the left elbow, to give the Red Flash its first advantage of the contest, 18-17. Mayrose quickly answered by striking from behind the arc in the right corner.
Senior center Shenika Chang (New York, NY/Park West) converted a no-look from Mayrose from the left block. Mayrose then knocked down two at the charity stripe. FDU held a 24-18 margin at the 4:38 mark.
The Knights hit the break up, 32-28, fueled by 10 points a piece from Mayrose and Laury. Leach countered with nine points, as Saint Francis held a 10-2 edge in bench scoring. Meanwhile, FDU notched a 14-6 stronghold in points in the paint.
Lilley scored twice to usher in the second half and even the count, before Laury found Mayrose for a fast break deuce. Mayrose hit from downtown, regaining the lead, 37-36, with 16:31 left.
After a 15-2 outburst by SFU, Mayrose sliced Fairleigh Dickinson's hole to single-digits via an old-fashioned three-point play. The Knights' first field goal in 3:55 created a 51-43 contest at the 11:46 juncture.
However, a 19-3 push by Saint Francis ultimately put things out of reach. Three the hard way by senior guard Nasim Ahmadzadeh (Uppsala, Sweden/Lofstromsgymnasium) stopped a 5:39 FDU field goal drought late in the game.
FDU wraps-up its regular-season slate at 7:00 p.m., Monday, March 2. The Knights host Long Island University in a contest marking Senior Day 2009.
