The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team was defeated by Central Connecticut State University on Saturday afternoon, 79-61, in an NEC matchup at Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, CT. The Blue Devils improve to 8-12 (5-5 NEC) on the season, while the Knights fall to 6-15 (2-8 NEC) overall.
Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) led the Knights with 22 points. Esther Wallace (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central), starting for the first time this season, added a career-high 10 points. Wallace and Alyssa Mayrose (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) each grabbed five rebounds to pace the squad on the glass. Mayrose also dished out four assists to lead the team. Defensively, Laury recorded four steals.
Jenna Stich's trey from the right corner and a driving layup by Mayrose put the Knights up early, 5-2.
After the Blue Devils took a 10-9 lead, Kayla Killian (Cliffwood Beach, NJ/St. John Vianney)'s baby hook and Amy Longo (Pittsburgh, PA/North Catholic)'s pull-up baseline jumper put the Knights back up on top, 13-10.
Behind 14-13, Laury converted a three-point play the old fashion way to put the Knights ahead, 16-14. Wallace's short jumper in the lane extended the lead to 18-14 with 12:10 to go in the first half.
The Blue Devils scored five unanswered points to take a 19-18 lead. The lead then changed five different times before the Blue Devils took the lead for good at 27-25.
The Blue Devils lead in the first half reached as high as eight at 37-29 before the Knights went on an 8-2 run capped by a Saunders layup to cut the lead to 39-37 with 0:18 to go in the first half.
The Blue Devils scored a layup as time expired in the first half and went into halftime up four, 41-37.
Laury scored 11 points in the first half to lead the Knights. Mayrose pulled down four rebounds and dished out four assists to lead the team in the first half.
Each team shot the ball extremely well in the first half. The Knights shot 50 percent from the field (15-for-30). However, the Blue Devils were just a little better as they shot 51.7 percent (15-for-39). They also connected on six of nine shots from behind the arc, while the Knights shot 2-for-6 from three-point range.
The Knights narrowly out-rebounded the Blue Devils by one in the first half, 16-15, and the Blue Devils narrowly won the turnover battle as they forced seven turnovers by the Knights and only turned the ball over six times.
In a half that saw three ties and 14 lead changes, the Knights dominated in the paint, outscoring the Blue Devils, 24-8.
The Blue Devils knocked down back-to-back three's to open the second half to take a 47-37 lead. Wallace's turnaround jumper in the lane gave FDU its first points of the second half and cut the lead to 47-39.
Down 52-41, Strich's trey from the left wing cut the lead back to eight, 52-44. However, that was the closest the Knights would get the rest of the game.
The Blue Devils scored 13 unanswered points to take a 65-44 lead and never looked back as they cruised to the easy 79-61 victory.
"We played a good first half," said Head Coach Pete Cinella. "Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) played hard all game. We did a great job of getting the ball inside. We have to defend and rebound better."
The Blue Devils shot the ball just as well in the second half as they did in the first half. They finished the game shooting 51.8 percent (29-for-56) from the field. Central Connecticut State had a remarkable 26 assists on its 29 field goals made. The Blue Devils also finished the game shooting 60 percent (9-for-15) from three-point range.
The Knights cooled off in the second half but still finished the game shooting a respectable 41.7 percent (25-for-60) from the field.
The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle, out-rebounding the Knights, 37-30. However, the Knights won the turnover battle as they only turned the ball over 14 times. They forced 16 turnovers by the Blue Devils.
Leanne Crockett led the Blue Devils with a game-high 26 points. She went a perfect 9-for-9 from the field, including four three-pointers. The only shot she missed all day was a free throw attempt. Kerrianne Dugan just missed a triple-double as she added 19 points, pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, and dished out a game-high 11 assists. Justina Udenze came off the bench to chip in 12 points.
The Knights return to action this Thursday, February 4, at home versus NEC and in-state rival Monmouth. Tipoff is slated for 5:00 p.m.
