HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team battled to double overtime against Army West Point but fell short of its first win in a 70-68 home loss.
 
The Knights (0-6) battled from behind in regulation to take a five-point lead in the fourth period before the Black Knights (2-5) tied the game with 41 seconds left to force overtime. FDU scored the first four points of the first overtime but Army again tied the game to send it to a second extra period.
 
Knights junior Madison Stanley scored her team's first six points of the second OT period, including a turnaround jumper with 27 seconds left to tie it up at 66-66, but Army drew a foul on its next possession and hit two key free throws before forcing a FDU turnover that led to more free throws that sealed the game.
 
Stanley finished the game with a team-high 16 points to go with five rebounds and two blocks on 6-of-11 shooting. Senior Lauren Francillon posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds to go with three blocks in her first game back from injury since the season opener. Sophomore Rachael Niles also contributed 11 points with six rebounds and two steals.
 
"I thought we really battled it out today," head coach Angelika Szumilo said after the game. "It took them two overtimes to beat us, so even though we lost, I think we definitely took a step in the right direction. It was nice to have Lauren back, I thought she did a good job stepping up and making some big baskets. Everybody did a little bit of everything, but we just got to learn to close out games."
 
Freshman Jayde Boyd added nine points and five rebounds, while sophomore Lindsey Mack finished with eight points and a career-high six rebounds. The double-overtime affair was the first time FDU had played more than one extra period since 2008.
 
FDU jumped out to an early 8-3 lead thanks in part to three-pointers from Stanley and Mack to go with a Courtney Blankenship layup. Army climbed back to within two points before Francillon made her first basket off a Mack dish inside. The Black Knights, however, cut the FDU lead down to one on a three-pointer at the end of the period to make it 12-11.
 
The Knights then built up their lead to as many as six points after a scoop layup inside by freshman Aniya Bell, but Army answered with a 11-5 run that tied the game at 24-24. Army then took the lead heading into halftime, 30-28, but a Niles jumper followed by a Mack three-pointer vaulted FDU back in front 33-32 two minutes into the third period.
 
The two teams kept the game within one possession over the next eight minutes, with FDU holding a lead after Niles made a three with 6:28 left in the quarter. Baskets from Francillon, Niles and Boyd helped FDU maintain a three-point advantage, and a Stanley three at the buzzer extended the margin to 48-44 at the end of three quarters.
 
Army then netted the first five points of the fourth period before Stanley ended the run with a layup, and on the next FDU possession, senior Elise Graham kicked out a pass to freshman Sierra DeAngelo for a corner three to put FDU ahead 53-49. FDU later extended its lead to five on a Francillon free throw, but Army closed out the quarter by scoring the final five points to send it to overtime.
 
Back-to-back Francillon buckets put FDU up 60-56 to start overtime, but Army whittled the lead down to two with a minute left and drew a foul in the closing seconds of the extra period, which led to two free throws that tied the game.
 
Stanley then kept the Knights on pace with Army through the first 4:30 of the second overtime with a layup, two free throws and the turnaround jumper, but in the end, Army drew two critical fouls and forced a turnover on defense to end the game with the win.
 
The Knights shot 37 percent from the field and 36 percent from three while holding Army to just 34.3 percent from the floor and 3-of-22 (13.6 percent) from beyond the arc. The Black Knights, however, made 21-of-31 free throws while FDU made 5-of-10 from the charity stripe. FDU outrebounded Army, 55-43, but committed 22 turnovers to Army's 14. As a team, the Knights dished out 11 assists.
 
FDU goes on the road to the nation's capital for its next game, playing at Howard on Saturday, December 7, at 2 p.m. in Washington, D.C.