Box Score

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team dropped a 73-63 decision to Manhattan Sunday night at Stratis Arena in the season opener for both schools.

Sophomore Kelsey Cruz (Chester, Va./Lloyd C. Bird) led the Knights with a career-high 21 points and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Junior Amanda Andrades (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) added 11 points, a team-high four assists and a game-high three steals, while sophomore Anastasia Williams (Central Islip, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Diocesan) chipped in 10 points and 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Senior Desiree Crawford (Aurora, Ontario/Cardinal Carter Catholic) led all rebounders with a career-high 13 on the glass.

FDU jumped out to a 6-4 advantage before the Jaspers used a 14-4 run to jump out to an 18-10 lead with 11:52 left in the first half.

The Knights cut the deficit to 20-16 on a layup from Andrades, but Manhattan responded with a 13-4 spurt to take its largest lead of the game at 33-20 with 2:31 remaining before halftime.

However, FDU fought back and outscored the Jaspers by seven over the final 2:08, and a Crawford coast-to-coast layup at the horn put the Knights down 35-29 at the half.

FDU's continued its run to start the second half and eventually outscored Manhattan, 13-2, as a three-pointer from Cruz put the Knights down 35-33 with 19:28 left in the contest.

Once again the Jaspers answered and stretched their lead back out to seven at 46-39 with 15:56 to go. But FDU was able to whittle down the lead and trim the deficit to three at 50-47 on a jumper from Cruz with 12:37 to go in the game.

It was the closest the Knights would come the rest of the way. Manhattan scored 12 of the next 15 points to take a 12-point lead at 62-50 with 8:33 remaining before cruising to the victory.

FDU struggled from the floor, shooting only 31.7 percent (19-of-60), while going 20-of-31 from the free throw line. The Jaspers shot nearly 55 percent in the second half and finished the game shooting 46.4 percent (26-of-56).

After being outrebounded by seven in the first half, the Knights pounded the glass in the second half to finish with an edge in rebounding, 44-38, including 24-13 on the offensive end.

"I am proud of the team for coming back and cutting a double-digit deficit down to two," Head Coach Peter Cinella said. "We played with hustle and great energy in the second half. Kelsey Cruz (Chester, Va./Lloyd C. Bird) was able to get some good shots; Amanda Andrades (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) did a great job in the second half of attacking the paint; Desiree Crawford (Aurora, Ontario/Cardinal Carter Catholic) and Anastasia Williams (Central Islip, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Diocesan) were tough on the boards."

"You have to give Manhattan and Head Coach John Olenowski credit. Whatever different defense we threw at them, they had a player step up and hit a big three. Those are what hurt us, those big threes that continued to stem the tide when we were cutting it to four and to two, and they would hit the big three and that was the difference."

FDU will return to action Thursday, Nov. 14 when it travels to West Point, N.Y. to face Army, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.