HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team plays for a top-four seed in the Northeast Conference Tournament on Thursday night, needing a win in their game at Mount St. Mary's at 7 p.m., to help solidify their top-four seeding in the conference tournament.
FDU (11-17, 8-9 NEC) at Mount St. Mary's (19-10, 14-3 NEC)
Thursday, March 5 | 7 PM | Knott Arena - Emmitsburg, Md.
Watch: NEC Front Row
Links: Live Stats | Twitter | Instagram
All-Time Series
Mount St. Mary's 35, FDU 24
at Knott Arena: Mount leads, 21-9
This Season: Mount 69, FDU 61 (2/1/20 at Rothman Center)
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 its final regular-season game at Mount St. Mary's
-- Saint Francis U loses its final game to Robert Morris
With a win, FDU solidifies a top-four seed in the NEC Tournament and will host a NEC Quarterfinal matchup on Monday, March 9th. The Knights can finish as high as third or as low as seventh 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 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 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 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.
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.
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.
Coach Szumilo's Thoughts
"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."
What's Next
FDU awaits its opponent and location of its NEC Quarterfinals game on Monday, March 9, with game time also still to be determined. If the Knights win their quarterfinal game on Monday, they will advance to NEC Semifinals on Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m.
Marriott Saddle Brook is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 women's basketball season.
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