HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team picked up its seventh win in 10 games Monday afternoon by defeating Central Connecticut State, 66-47, in the Rothman Center.
 
The Knights (7-10, 4-2 NEC) shot an even 50 percent from three-point range, making 9-of-18 shots beyond the arc, and held the Blue Devils (1-17, 0-7 NEC) to just 30 percent shooting in the game and 1-of-6 from long range. The 47 points were the fewest allowed by the Knights in a game this season, and FDU closed out the game making 7-of-13 shots in the fourth period while holding CCSU to just 1-of-6 from the field in the final 10 minutes.
 
"We spent a lot of time talking to our players not underestimating Central Connecticut," head coach Angelika Szumilo said. "They're a talented team and have one of the best forwards in the league, so we knew we had to really bring our A-game defensively to be in position to win this game. It was all about team defense, and I think we did a very good job of keeping our person in front of us and, when they did try to get the ball inside, doubling and being there for each other."
 
Four different Knights scored in double figures, led by Lindsey Mack who finished with her first career double-double. The sophomore scored a team-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting and she pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds, grabbing eight on the defensive end.
 
"I think she's becoming a much more complete player," Szumilo said. "It's not all about taking threes with her now, and she's learning if they take away the threes, then she has to drive. She did a great job today doing both, but I'm very proud of her. She played really well on both ends of the court."
 
Freshman Maria Roters netted 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go with six rebounds and two steals, and sophomore Rachael Niles totaled 11 points while making all three of her three-point tries and dishing out four assists. Freshman Sierra DeAngelo also added 10 points off the bench, making 3-of-5 shots and both of her shots from beyond the arc. Senior Lauren Francillon matched Mack with 10 rebounds to go with seven points and two blocks.
 
As a team, FDU outrebounded CCSU 39-28 and dished out 14 assists in the game, continuing their run of winning seven of eight games this season when reaching at least 14 assists.
 
Central Connecticut opened the game with the first five points before Mack hit a three from the top of the key followed by a Francillon layup that tied the game at 5-5. The Knights took their first lead on a Francillon jumper later in the period, and FDU started to heat up on offense to take a 14-11 lead after one period.
 
The Knights connected on 4-of-7 threes in the second period and outscored CCSU 22-14 in the period to build up a double-digit lead. Freshman Jayde Boyd made her second three of the contest to make it 19-11 early in the period, while Mack, DeAngelo and Niles all drained threes within a two-minute stretch to help bump the lead up to nine at 30-21. Back-to-back buckets from Roters then improved the margin to 13 as FDU entered halftime leading 36-25.
 
The Blue Devils cut into the FDU lead to start the third period, making it a five-point game at 39-34 with under five minutes left in the period. Two DeAngelo free throws stemmed the momentum with 4:14 left in the period, and the Knights closed out the last four minutes of the third outscoring CCSU 9-4, with a big three by Niles followed by two free throws from her pushing FDU's lead back to double-digits.
 
The Knights kept their 11-point advantage two minutes into the final quarter before going on a 15-2 run starting with a Roters layup that pushed the margin beyond 20 points and sealed FDU's fourth NEC victory of the season.
 
FDU last started 4-2 in the NEC in the 2011-12 season and the team's seven wins in 10 games is the best 10-game stretch since starting the 2017-18 season going 8-3 in non-conference action.
 
The Knights go on the road for their next two NEC games, traveling to Sacred Heart on Saturday for a 1 p.m. game in Fairfield, Conn., followed by the team's first-ever meeting with Merrimack on Monday, January 27, at 7 p.m., in North Andover, Mass.
 
"They're tough teams," Szumilo continued. "Obviously we just played Sacred Heart, but they're a very good team and I'm sure they're going to make their adjustments just like we will. And Merrimack has proven that they're a very good program, so we're going to have to focus on what we need to do to stop them defensively and go at them offensively."