Box Score HACKENSACK, N.J. – Sophomore Maria Roters led the way with 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but the Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team (0-1) fell 70-44 to St. John's (1-0) in their season opener on Saturday afternoon at the Rothman Center.

"It felt good to just get out there and play against somebody other than ourselves," said head coach Angelika Szumilo, who opened her second season at the helm this afternoon. "St. John's is a very good team with lots of history of success, so it was definitely a good test for us right from the start. Eight of our nine players available for today's game were underclassmen and that showed especially in the second half, but I thought we played hard overall."

"We definitely need to address the areas we need to improve in and use this game as a learning lesson," added Szumilo.

Freshman Devyn Scott made her first collegiate start for the Knights and opened the contest with six of the first seven points as the Knights took an early 6-1 lead. The Red Storm answered with a 15-0 run over the next five minutes to take a 16-6 lead with 3:14 to play in the first quarter. First-year Knight Taylor Crystian ended the run with her first career points on an and-one layup. Over the final 2:43 of the quarter, FDU outscored St. John's 7-5 but still trailed by eight.

Freshman Abby Conklin netted the Knights' first points of the second frame by connecting on a three-pointer to cut the deficit to seven points. Then, Roters found the touch, scoring the next eight points as the Knights held the Red Storm scoreless for over three minutes.  St. John's ended the second quarter with nine unanswered points, including a half-court heave at the buzzer from Camree Clegg to take a 34-24 lead into half.

Both defenses stepped up to start the third quarter as there only three combined baskets scored over the first 3:30 minutes of the period. A layup from Roters got the Knights back to within 10 points, but the Red Storm then went on a 12-0 run over a five-minute stretch to extend their lead to 22 with 3:54 left in the period.

Sophomore guard Celia Carbonell provided an offensive spark in the fourth quarter as she netted all eight of her points with a pair of layups and jumpers. Roters, DeAngelo, and Crystian also scored in the fourth period, but were outscored 20-14 in the final frame.

Inside the Box Score

• The Knights first 16 points were scored by freshmen.
• All four freshmen who debuted for FDU scored today (Scott 8, Crystian 5, Conklin 3, Chloe Wilson 2).
• Carbonell also netted eight points and made four shots.
• Junior Madeline Selvaggi led the Knights with a career-high eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
• Raven Farley scored a game-high 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Red Storm.
• The Burgundy and Blue pulled down 30 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards.
• The Knights forced nine first half turnovers and 15 total for the game.
• FDU is now 2-5 all-time against St. John's.

What's Next
FDU travels to Binghamton on Wednesday, December 2 to take on the Bearcats at 4:00 p.m.