Box Score FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team couldn't make it three road victories in five days as the Knights fell, 66-65, on a late layup by Lerae Ettienne in a rare Wednesday night Northeast Conference clash. With the win, the Pioneers improve to 15-11 (10-6 NEC), while FDU falls to 9-18 (6-10 NEC) and moves the team into a tie for seventh with LIU Brooklyn with the Blackbirds holding the tiebreaker.
"Sacred Heart did a good job of stepping up and closing out on the last three possessions," Head Coach Pete Cinella said, "We did have a solid game today with our rebounding and in keeping our turnovers low. We have to do a better job of finishing around the basket, not making unforced turnovers, and taking charges on drives."
The hosts started the contest off with two straight buckets and led 9-8 at the first media timeout.
Rainey Cox (South Boston, Mass./Southfield) converted a layup to take a lead for FDU and it sparked a 21-8 run over the next nine minutes, to lead 29-17, capped by
Zeynep Akgun (Ankara, Turkey/Ted Ankara)'s corner three-pointer and with
Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) tallying her first 11 points of the game.
Sacred Heart rallied to close out the first period with a 13-7 run despite the Knights shooting 3-of-4 from the floor over the final five minutes but committing three turnovers as well.
Coming out of the break, the Pioneers got the deficit down to two, the lowest it had been since the 10:43 mark in the first half, but
Valerie Oyakhilome (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) hit a three-pointer to extend the Knights' lead once again.
However, Adaysha Williams made a layup just seconds later and after nearly two full minutes of scoreless ball, Katie Shepard tied the game up at 41 apiece from downtown. The Knights had led for 14:42 until that moment.
Livermore regained the lead from the free throw line and sparked a 10-4 run for the visitors, now up 51-45. Following another Oyakhilome three-pointer with 10:55 to play, the Pioneers engineered a 8-1 run to take the first Sacred Heart lead since under six minutes into the contest.
To that point, the game was either tied or FDU led for the previous 29 minutes.
There would be another three ties over the ensuing three minutes before the final plays.
Adaysha Williams made a layup with 1:32 to go and
Amanda Andrades (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) made just her second bucket of the night to take the lead, 65-64, with 35 seconds to go.
On the next possession, Ettienne found space under the basket and laid it in for the eventual game winner with 16 ticks left on the clock. The Knights attempted shot at the end fell short.
Livermore finished with a game-high 24 points (8-for-14) to go along with 14 rebounds and four blocks in 32 minutes. Cruz added 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting and six other Knights were able to get on the scoreboard.
Gabrielle Washington paced the Pioneers with 21 points, nine rebounds, and four assists and she was joined in double figures by three others.
FDU dominated on the glass, outrebounding Sacred Heart, 45-36, while also winning the turnover battle, 14-13.
Still, the Knights shot 53.6% from the floor in the first half, with just one three, but could only convert on 25% of their attempts in the second period. Overall, FDU shot 37.5% compared to Sacred Heart's 42.9%.
The Knights return home for the final two games of the regular season and will be looking for at least one win to secure a NEC Tournament berth. First up is current joint first-place Central Connecticut State on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff at Stratis Arena is slated for 2 p.m. and all fans are encouraged to wear pink for the annual Play for Kay game to raise awareness for cancer research. NEC Front Row will carry live video coverage.
