After two-straight wins, the Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team was upended, 50-37, by the United States Military Academy, Wednesday, Feb. 4 in Hackensack, NJ. The Knights dropped to 6-15 overall.
Head Coach Peter Cinella's squad was limited to 14 points over the final 20 minutes ? a byproduct of a 22% shooting clip on the night. Freshman guard Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) (Orange, NJ) recorded a team-high 16 points (6-for-7 at the line). Classmate Esther Wallace (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central) (Springfield, MA), tied her career-best effort on the glass, grabbing seven rips from the center position.
The Black Knights' 27 points in the second half propelled them to 13-9 on the season, while also winning their seventh road tilt in nine chances. Senior guard Alex McGuire (Gambrills, MD) poured in a game-best 17 points, while sophomore forward Erin Anthony (Allentown, PA) added a game-high 15 rebounds.
“Army is a great defensive team,” Cinella said. “It looked good for awhile when we had the lead late in the first half. From there, they just locked down defensively.”
On FDU's second possession of the evening, junior guard Jordan Sykes (Avalon, NJ/Holy Spirit) (Avalon, NJ) bounced a pass to a streaking Laury for a lay-in. Army then notched a pair of offensive put-backs to jump ahead. Junior forward Christy Altamirano (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) (Bayonne, NJ) drew a double team on the right block and kicked out to sophomore forward Kayla Killian (Cliffwood Beach, NJ/St. John Vianney) (Clifford Beach, NJ) for canned her first collegiate three-pointer.
Laury hit the line and knocked down a tandem of free throws. Two possessions later, McGuire swished a trey for a short-lived 9-7 advantage. Laury answered by popping two-consecutive J's in her defender's face ? good for an 11-9 lead with 14:14 remaining.
Fairleigh Dickinson's defense clamped down and did not allow a field goal for a 4:19 interval. The Black Knights chipped away, and senior forward Megan Evans (Canaan, NH) drove the lane and banked home a deuce, as the Black Knights went back on top, 17-16, at the 6:04 mark.
Freshman forward Alexa Johnson (Enosburg Falls, VT/Enosburg Falls) (Enosburg Falls, VT) corralled an offensive carom and dropped in two second-chance points, extending the count to 20-17 in favor of the host Knights with 2:42 left.
Things stood at 23-up by the break, with senior center Shenika Chang (New York, NY/Park West) (New York, NY) ? who finished with six points and five boards ? connecting for the first time in her career from downtown in the closing seconds. McGuire led all scorers with 11 points, while Laury tallied eight. Army's 16-8 edge in the paint kept it tight.
An effort from long-range courtesy of Altamirano ushered in the second half. Less than five minutes into the period, two-straight trifectas amidst an 11-0 run allowed for a 34-26 cushion for the visitors.
With 4:37 on the clock, Laury halted a 14:41 field goal drought with a pull-up from just inside the arc. At that point, the Black Knights were in command, 49-35.
The visitors claimed a 22-8 lead in points scored in the paint, coupled with a 13-5 edge in second-chance points.
Fairleigh Dickinson hosts Mount St. Mary's University ? marking the two squads' second meeting of the year ? at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 7 at Stratis Arena in the Rothman Center.
