WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team fell behind early and could not overcome the deficit in a 62-40 defeat Wednesday night at Army West Point.
 
The Knights (2-6) once again proved a tough challenge in the third period, scoring 17 points and going 7-for-18 from the floor while trimming the margin down to as little as seven. The Black Knights (3-5), however, held off the comeback effort by matching the Knights point-for-point in the third period and then building on their lead in the fourth.
 
Senior Peniel M'Bikata finished the game with 13 points to lead the Knights, making two of the team's three shots from three-point range in the game. M'Bikata has now scored in double figures in five straight games and six of eight games to start the season.
 
Senior Natalie Zamora added eight points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while junior Charee Osborne led the Knights with six rebounds. Junior Lauren Francillon chipped in six points as well.
 
"We did a good job in the third quarter, and we got to find a way to keep that offensive flow going," head coach Peter Cinella said after the game. "Army really gritted it out in the fourth quarter. We have to improve our rebounding and get better offensive flow."
 
The Knights were able to force a couple of early turnovers on the defensive end but found themselves trailing 6-2 midway through the first period. Zamora drove for a hard layup to cut into the deficit, and Francillon and Osborne also made close-range baskets to keep the Knights within a possession at 11-8 after one period.
 
Junior Courtney Blankenship sank a jumper to move the Knights within one, but Army countered with five straight points before senior Madelynn Comly was able to drive for a layup and stop the run. The Black Knights, however, continued to build their lead up and entered halftime ahead 27-14.
 
M'Bikata started the second half scoring five straight points on a three-pointer and a fast-break layup, and sophomore Madison Stanley drained a jumper from the free throw line to bring the Knights back within 10. The Black Knights then tallied four straight points before M'Bikata hit another three-pointer to make it 35-24.
 
Francillon sank a jumper from the top of the key and Osborne followed with a turnaround in the paint to cut the deficit to seven with 3:46 left in the period. The Black Knights then made another run before freshman Lindsey Mack hit a deep three, but Army entered the final period up 44-31.  
 
Zamora started the fourth period with two driving layups for the Knights, but the Black Knights started the fourth period on a 11-4 run to pull away from the Knights.
 
FDU was limited to only three free throw attempts in the game but sank all three from the charity stripe. The Knights, however, were held to only 26.6 percent from the floor. FDU did win the turnover battle, 12-5, and blocked four shots as well. The Black Knights won the battle on the glass, 56-23.
 
Army was led by Madison Hovren, who finished the game with 30 points and 22 rebounds.
 
The Knights return to action on Saturday, December 8, when they travel to Long Island to take on Stony Brook at 2 p.m., making it their fourth straight road game.