FORT WORTH, TX – #15 FDU (29-3, 16-0) women's basketball will face #2 TCU (31-3, 16-2) in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. The Knights will make their NCAA tournament debut on Friday, March 21 at 3:30 p.m. EST. Coverage will be available on ESPN2.
The Knights are coming off of their first Northeast Conference Championship in over 30 years. FDU took down Stonehill in the Northeast Conference finals on Sunday, March 16. The Knights had most recently won the NEC tournament in 1991-92, but that was before an automatic bid to the big dance was awarded to the NEC.
FDU had even clinched their ticket to the dance before the conference championship game. The other side of the NEC's semifinal bracket featured Le Moyne and Stonehill. Both schools were in the transition period to Division I, and thus ineligible for postseason play. That meant with FDU's semifinal win, the Knights booked their ticket to the dance.
The Northeast Conference champions will enter the tournament as one of the hottest teams in the nation. The Knights have won 22-straight games, which is the third-longest active streak in Division I. FDU's last loss came on December 11, 2024, when the Knights fell to Rutgers on the road.
The 2024-25 campaign for FDU was undoubtedly the best in program history. On top of clinching their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, the Knights set several program records during the course of the season. FDU's 29 wins and counting have shattered the previous program-record of 24 wins in a single-season. The Knights' 22-game win streak is also the longest in program history, breaking the previous best of eight games.
At 29-3, the Knights currently sit with the second-best record in the 38-year history of NEC women's basketball. Only 2012-13 Quinnipiac at 30-3 has a better single-season record all-time. The Knights' only three losses came in out-of-conference play, and were all to high-major opponents (UConn, Syracuse, Rutgers). FDU finished with a 16-0 record in their regular season conference stretch, and added on three wins in the tournament to finish the NEC season with a perfect 19-0 record. They became just the sixth NEC team ever to pull off such a feat.
The Knights are led by a litany of high performers. Graduate student Teneisia Brown has been unbelievable in her second year in Hackensack. Brown was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Year, and named to the All-NEC First Team and NEC All-Defensive Team. Brown led the conference in rebounding and double-doubles during the regular season, and finished as the second-leading scorer on FDU during regular season play.
Brown also picked up two more accolades in the postseason, being named the NEC Tournament MVP, and named to the NEC All-Tournament team. She averaged a show-stopping 28.3 PPG and 10.3 RPG across the Knights' three tournament games. The crown jewel of her season was a career-high 34 points in the NEC Championship to deliver the Knights their first title in 33 years.
Joining Teneisia Brown on the All-NEC First Team was freshman standout Ava Renninger. Renninger finished her rookie regular season as the Knights' leading scorer, averaging 14.2 PPG. The freshman out of Yardley, PA won a starting job for the Knights just three games into the season, and did not look back. Highlighted by a career-high 28 points against Mercyhurst on 2/1, Renninger had one of the most successful rookie seasons in FDU history. She earned herself the honor of NEC Rookie of the Year, and was additionally named to the NEC's All-Rookie Team.
As FDU looks to the other sidelines, they find a TCU team who has been a force in the Big 12 all season long. The Horned Frogs are led by a superstar duo of Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince, who both average upwards of 17 PPG. TCU finished their conference season with just two losses, and have won ten-straight. The Horned Frogs took down Baylor in the Big 12 Championship game to secure the title and book their first ticket to the dance in 15 years.
FDU is no stranger to upsets. The women will look to shock the world and advance in the tournament when tip-off comes around at 3:30 p.m. eastern on Friday. Coverage is available on ESPN2.
Connect with FDU Women's Basketball on X and Instagram, @FDUKnightsWBB.
Segovia Steakhouse is the presenting sponsor of the 2024-25 FDU Women's Basketball season.
