Box Score LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team suffered its fourth road loss of the season, 72-63, at Siena on Tuesday night. With the loss the Knights fall to 3-7 on the season, while the Saints improve to 7-4 overall.
"We played much better in the second half and did a much better job rebounding." Head Coach
Peter Cinella said, "I think we showed good press intensity throughout, while
Kelsey Cruz (Chester, Va./Lloyd C. Bird) consistently got in the paint and scored. Siena did a good job rebounding the basketball. "
Cruz scored a season-high 27 on 50% shooting from the floor (10-of-20 FG) and
Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) tallied her third straight double-double but the Knights could not overcome Siena's hot shooting.
FDU started out with a 6-2 lead and would eventually hold a 15-11 advantage following a Cruz three but Siena would end the first half on an 18-7 run.
The hosts shot 10-of-15 from inside the perimeter in the opening period and jumped out to a 29-22 lead at the break with all six players tallying at least three points.
The Knights would cut the deficit to four midway through the second half when Cruz scored eight unanswered points and again to five with a little over two minutes in regulation after the junior guard scored another eight straight points for her team.
The Saints held on thanks to terrific foul shooting down the stretch from senior Ida Krogh, who hit 11-of-11 from the charity stripe during the second stanza.
Aside from Cruz and Livermore, no other Knight scored over six points while combining for 25% shooting (7-of-28) with no three's.
Krogh paced the Saints with 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists and three others finished in double figures. As a team, Siena assisted on 23 of 25 made baskets while committing just 15 turnovers.
FDU opens up Northeast Conference play this weekend starting on Saturday, Jan. 3, with a trip up to Central Connecticut State. Tipoff from New Britain is slated for 1 p.m. with NEC Front Row carrying live a live video broadcast.
