Box Score RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team roared back from an early second-half deficit to defeat Manhattan, 73-54, on Friday evening. With the road victory, the Knights start their season 1-0, while the Jaspers begin at 0-1.
"I am proud of the team for getting a road win against an improved Manhattan team." Head Coach Pete Cinella said, "While
Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) carried our team in the first half with a double-double, it was the great perimeter performances by
Valerie Oyakhilome (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst),
Brianna Thomas (Baldwin, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Diocesan), and
Amanda Andrades (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) that led the way in the second half as well as a spirited defense led by
Rainey Cox (South Boston, Mass./Southfield) showing great hustle."
Livermore entered the halftime break with 16 points and 10 rebounds but the team were in a three-point hole due mainly to shooting just 26% from the field. The Jaspers led by as much as nine points late in the first half.
Down five early in the second half, sophomore guard
Kiana Brown (Richmond, Va./Hermitage) hit a jumper and
Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) scored four quick points with FDU taking its third lead of the game. The Knights would not relinquish the lead again and would go on to score nearly 50 second-half points.
FDU shot 42.9% from the field in the second half and had two players score in double digits over the final 20 minutes. Both Oyakhilome and
Brianna Thomas (Baldwin, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Diocesan) scored all of their points in the second half.
Thomas and Oyakhilome combined for 16 points over a seven minute period in the middle of the second stanza to extend the Knights' newfound lead. Thomas hit a three-pointer and four free throws before Oyakhilome drilled three straight three's to take a 50-42 lead.
Livermore finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds on 8-of-18 shooting and four other Knights ended the contest in double figures: Oyakhilome's 14 points, Thomas' 14, Andrades' 11, and Brown's 10.
Andrades also finished with a game-high four steals to go along with five boards and five assists while playing every single minute.
The Knights outrebounded the Jaspers, 48-35, and won the turnover battle, 20-17.
Maeve Parahus paced Manhattan with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting, all from downtown, along with a pair of steals and a pair of blocks.
It was FDU's first road victory since a 64-62 overtime win at Robert Morris in 2013 and the largest margin of victory since a 37-point win over Wagner in 2012.
Next up for the Knights is their home opener against NJIT on Wednesday, Nov. 19 with a 8 p.m. tip. NEC Front Row will provide fans with a live video broadcast.
