HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team busted out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter and rode the momentum to a big 57-53 victory over Wagner Monday night.
 
The Knights (11-17, 8-9 NEC) outscored the Seahawks (10-18, 6-11 NEC) 22-9 in the first period and shot 70 percent from the floor in the first 10 minutes to build a lead they would hold the rest of the game.
 
With the win, FDU remains in the hunt for a top-four seed in the upcoming Northeast Conference Tournament, currently sitting in a tie for fourth place with Sacred Heart. A win in FDU's final game of the season at Mount St. Mary's Thursday would put the Knights in position to host a NEC Quarterfinal game for the first time since 1997. The Knights could wind up as high as third if Saint Francis U loses at Robert Morris Thursday, or fall to as low as seventh with a loss due to tiebreakers.
 
"Feels great to get the win, especially because I think we responded to our loss Saturday," head coach Angelika Szumilo said. "We challenged our team as far as toughness and rebounding, and we ended up outrebounding them. I thought it was a good way to finish up our home stretch with a win."
 
Senior Lauren Francillon led FDU with 15 points and 10 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season, and she also blocked three shots and recorded three assists. The senior made 6-of-11 shots.
 
"She's just focused," Szumilo said. "She knows this is her last go around, and she's been a really good vocal presence in practice, which shows in her game."
 
Freshman Maria Roters netted 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting and 4-of-4 at the free throw line. Freshman Aniya Bell grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds and finished with six points, joining teammates Rachael Niles, Lindsey Mack and Celia Carbonell with six points apiece.
 
After Wagner scored the first four points to open the game, Roters made a driving layup and then two free throws a minute later that tied the battle. Wagner then sank a three, but Roters finished a layup off a Francillon assist, starting a 18-2 FDU run over the last four minutes of the quarter to help break the game open. Roters and Francillon combined for the first seven points of the Knights run, with Carbonell and Mack each draining threes before Bell drew a foul on a layup that ended the period with a three-point play to make it 22-9.
 
The Seahawks cut the margin down to seven to start the next quarter before two Francillon free throws stemmed the tide. The margin was trimmed down to one at 29-28 with 1:46 to go until halftime, but the Knights finished the half strong with layups by junior Madison Stanley and sophomore Madeline Selvaggi, who made her first start of her career.
 
FDU carried their momentum into the third quarter, extending their run to 14-0 as Niles and Mack each connected from long range along with Francillon and Roters sinking two-pointers to make it 43-28. The Knights never let their lead dip below five the rest of the way until a last second three-pointer by the Seahawks created the final four-point margin.
 
The Knights' game at Mount St. Mary's on Thursday begins at 7 p.m. The NEC Quarterfinal games take place the following Monday, March 9, with game times and locations still to be determined.