The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team pulled out a 51-48 win over Stony Brook University on Wednesday, Dec. 14 in Hackensack, NJ.  The Knights improve to 4-7 on the year, while the Seawolves fall to 1-9.

Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) and Danielle Pankey (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) combined for 31 of the team's 46 points to lead the Knights to their first victory in December.

FDU held Stony Brook scoreless in the first seven minutes of play, proving the game would be a defensive battle.  After leading by five points midway through the half, the Knights let go of the lead with five minutes to play.

A seven-point run from the Seawolves gave SBU a two-point advantage.  Laury and Pankey made back-to-back buckets to reclaim the lead but the Knights were met with a three pointer from Stony Brook.

The lead changed seven times in the final six minutes, with Stony Brook ultimately taking the halftime lead, 22-25. 

The Knights shot 30.8 percent from the field, while Stony Brook made 33.3 percent of their attempts. The Seawolves out-rebounded FDU in the first 20 minutes, 17-21, while each team had ten turnovers.

Laury led the team into the second half with six points in the opening three minutes.  Her first two baskets enabled the Knights to take the lead, while her sharp shooting made sure they never gave it up.

Midway through the half the Knights took their biggest lead of the game, 42-29 on a layup from freshman Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area). 

The Seawolves continued to pressure the Knights on defense but could not cut the lead to less than seven points through most of the second half.  The Knights held Stony Brook scoreless from the field between the 14:30 and 8:22 marks. 

With less than five minutes to play Stony Brook enhanced their offense and outscored FDU, 8-2 as the game wound down. 

A three-point play from Livermore with three minutes to go helped the Knights work their way back to a six point lead in the final seconds.  A buzzer beater three pointer cut the Knights' lead to just three points and created a 51-48 final score. 

Laury led the Knights with 20 points, while Pankey added 13.  Desiree Crawford (Aurora, Ontario/Cardinal Carter Catholic) and Livermore put up eight and nine points, respectively.  Crawford led the team with seven rebounds.  Senior Esther Wallace (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central) had a season-high four blocks, pushing her into third place on the career block list for FDU.

Laury also led the team with six steals, tying her career high.  The team had a combined 13 steals, the most in any game this season.

The Knights shot 33.9 percent from the floor, with a 36.7 shooting percentage in the second half.  They were out-rebounded, 41-45 through 40 minutes of play.

“We battled hard for 40 minutes today,” said Head Coach Pete Cinella.  “Our defense really won it for us in second half, it was nice to see people step up and help us get the win.”

FDU breaks for finals before traveling to Rider on Thursday, Dec. 22.  Tip off at Alumni Gym is slated for 7:00 pm.