HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team hosts Northeast Conference rival Wagner Monday night for its final regular-season home game, with both teams playing to position for a top-four seed in the upcoming NEC Tournament.
FDU (10-17, 7-9 NEC) vs. Wagner (10-17, 6-10 NEC)
Monday, March 2 | 7 PM | Rothman Center - Hackensack, N.J.
Watch: NEC Front Row
Links: Live Stats | Twitter | Instagram
All-Time Series
FDU 40, Wagner 36
at Rothman Center: FDU leads, 20-17
This Season: FDU 62, Wagner 61 (2/3/20 at Staten Island, N.Y.)
Playoff Stakes
FDU clinched its spot to the NEC Tournament on Saturday with a loss by St. Francis Brooklyn. The Knights currently are in a tie for fourth place in the standings, and they can finish as high as third in the tournament seeding IF the following happens
-- FDU wins each of its last two games vs. Wagner and Mount St. Mary's
-- Saint Francis U loses its final game to Robert Morris
-- Sacred Heart, Bryant and LIU all lose at least one of their final two games
The Knights can finish as high as third or as low as eighth depending on the outcomes of their final two games. If FDU does host a NEC quarterfinal game, it will be the first time the Knights play a home NEC playoff game since 1997.
Last Time Out
The Knights went on a 16-3 run to make a fourth-quarter charge from behind against Bryant but fell short of a comeback bid to fall 55-47 Saturday afternoon.
The Knights trailed by 18 points at the beginning of the final period before going on a 9-0 run that cut the deficit down to nine. FDU later continued its surge by scoring 10 of the next 15 points, making it 51-47 on a Lauren Francillon free throw with 17.4 seconds left. The Bulldogs (9-18, 7-9), however, sank four free throws in the closing seconds to hold on for the win.
Despite the loss, the Knights did clinch their sixth straight trip to the Northeast Conference Tournament with a loss by St. Francis Brooklyn to Sacred Heart. FDU currently remains in fourth place, tied with Bryant, Sacred Heart and LIU in the tournament standings with two games left to play.
Francillon spearheaded FDU's late charge with nine of her team-high 13 points in the fourth period. Freshman Sierra DeAngelo also scored in double figures, adding 11 points in 21 minutes off the bench. Sophomore Lindsey Mack dished out a team-high four assists to go with eight poins, and freshman Aniya Bell led FDU with seven rebounds while netting seven points.
Coach Szumilo's Thoughts
"I thought we had a strong fourth quarter," head coach Angelika Szumilo said. "We kept fighting and got stops on defense when we needed to get stops. We had a couple of good opportunities on offense but unfortunately it was really the third quarter and us getting outrebounded plus them getting to the foul line that made the difference in the game."
"Our goal is to finish strong, and we have two games left, so our goal is to build toward that first playoff game," Szumilo said. "The girls are excited to make it, they worked hard. We're a young team, and those young players are getting a lot of experience that is going to pay off."
What's Next
FDU travels to Maryland for Thursday night's regular-season finale at Mount St. Mary's, which starts at 7 p.m., in Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Md. The Knights are awaiting to see who they will face in the quarterfinals of the NEC Tournament that takes place on Monday, March 9.
Marriott Saddle Brook is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 women's basketball season.
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