The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team fell to Northeast Conference opponent Central Connecticut State University, 57-29, on Saturday, January 22 at Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, CT. With the loss, the Knights fall to 10-8 (3-4 NEC) on the season, while the Blue Devils advance to 9-7 (2-4 NEC).
The game began with a quick swap of points from Central Connecticut's Alexzandria Dowdy and senior Alyssa Mayrose (Freehold, NJ/Freehold). Central took a 5-3 lead on another Dowdy layup and maintained that lead through the first five minutes of play.
The Knights took a brief edge on a three-pointer from Alannah Driscoll-Sbar (Northampton, MA/Northampton), making the score 5-6 with 14:10 remaining in the half. Danielle Pankey (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) added three points for the Knights giving them their biggest lead of the game, 7-11. Central chipped away at the lead to tie the game after four made free-throws from Kerrianne Dugan and a layup from Justine Udenze.
Central took the lead midway through the half on a fast-break layup and never looked back. The Blue Devils continued to increase their lead, shooting 32 percent from the field during the first half. CCSU went into break with its largest advantage of the half, 21-13.
FDU finished the first 20 minutes shooting just 16.1 percent (5-for-31) from the floor.
The Blue Devils extended their lead quickly when play resumed, jumping out to a 10-point least just three minutes into the half. With a heavy defense and forced turnovers, CCSU continued to add to its total by shooting 38.5 percent from the field through the beginning of the second half. The Knights accumulated a 17.8 field-goal percentage through the same time period.
Midway through the second half the Knights trailed 41-21.
By capitalizing on the Knights' turnovers, the Blue Devils scored 12 points off mistakes and continued to play tough through the final minute of the game. CCSU came away with the W, with a final score of 57-29.
Head Coach Pete Cinella attributed the loss to turnovers and allowing CCSU to take open shots. Cinella hopes to rebound from the loss with a tough effort at Bryant but says it will take motivation to get through the road trip.
The Knights will look to recover from the three-game losing streak as they continue the road trip with a stop in Smithfield, Rhode Island. The Knights will take on Bryant University Monday, January 24 in a Northeast Conference Pack Network Game. The matchup, slated for 7:00 pm, can be viewed on Northeastconference.tv.
