HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team matched its best start since 1991-92 as the Knights moved to 7-2 with a 60-51 win over UMass Lowell on Saturday afternoon. 

Fairleigh Dickinson (7-2) shot 15-of-27, 55-percent, from the field in the second half to extend a two-point halftime lead into a nine-point win. 

Head coach Peter Cinella said post game, "Today was not our sharpest day on offense due to our foul trouble. Our defense is what pulled it out today. We did a good job of moving the ball in the fourth quarter."

Madelynn Comly scored a game-high 15 points; 13 of which came in the third and fourth quarters, and added five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Amina Markovic and Lauren Francillon were also in double figures at 14 and 10 respectively. It is the third straight game Fairleigh Dickinson has had three-plus players in double figures. 

The Knights shot 26-percent from three and only attempted 11 free throws while turning the ball over 16 times. 

Defensively, the Knights forced 24 River Hawk turnovers and to a season-low 51 points. 

UMass Lowell (3-7) tied the game at 22 on the first possession of the third quarter on a Kaya Gibbs, who led the team with 11 points, bucket. The teams would then be separated by no more than four points over the eight-plus minutes. 

The Knights put some distance between themselves and the River Hawks with an 8-0 run to end the third and to start the fourth quarter. Comly and Kamrin Weimer hit 3-pointers to start the series, and Comly ended it with a jumper. That pushed the lead to seven, 41-34, with 50 seconds gone in the fourth. 

Courtney Blankenship pushed the Knights' lead to 10, 53-43, with 3:49 to play. A 6-0 run from the River Hawks got the deficit to four,   with 2:57 left. Fairleigh Dickinson then closed the game on a 7-2 spurt, which saw the Knights hit five free throws. 

Cinella added, "Part of [better offense in the second half] was being able to play our starters more, because of us being in foul trouble, and we did a good job of ball movement with nine assists."

Fairleigh Dickinson shot 46-percent from the field. The Knights were over 50-percent in the first, third and fourth quarters. Weimer finished with nine points and hit three of the Knights four 3-pointers. 

The Knights are back in action tomorrow when they visit Rutgers at 2 p.m. at the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) in Piscataway. 

Cinella finished with, "We are going to have to play at our absolute best to be able to be in there with a team firing on all cylinders. C. Vivian Stringer seems to have another group headed to the NCAA Tournament. It is a great challenge for us."