HACKENSACK, N.J. – FDU's women's basketball team won its first back-to-back NEC Championships in program history Sunday afternoon, beating LIU, 79-57, in the NEC Tournament championship game at the Bogota Savings Center. The win is FDU's 40th consecutive conference win and the Knights are now one of two teams in Division I to finish back-to-back years with a perfect record in league play, joining UConn from the Big East.
FDU - which has now won 22 straight games, the third-longest active winning streak in the country - only led 12-8 after a relatively quiet first quarter, but the Knights broke the game open with a 17-4 run over the first 5:06 of the second quarter to go up 29-12 following a jumper by
Ava Renninger with 4:54 to go before halftime. LIU closed to within 32-20 after a pair of Kadidia Toure free throws with 2:20 left in the period, but the Knights closed the half with a 6-2 run to take a 38-22 lead into halftime.
FDU (30-4) made 15 of its 32 shots (46.9 percent) in the first half, including 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) from 3-point range, while holding the Sharks (21-11) to just 8-for-30 shooting (26.7 percent), including 0-for-6 on 3-pointers. The Knights also outrebounded LIU, 23-16, and got 13 points from their bench to the Sharks' zero.
In the third quarter, the Knights kept LIU at arm's length, as the Sharks got no closer than 14 points, that coming at 44-30 after a 3-pointer by Toure with 6:16 remaining in the period. FDU's lead stayed between 15 and 19 points the rest of the quarter and the Knights took a 56-37 lead into the final 10 minutes.
The Knights cruised to the tournament title from there, eventually leading by as many as 28 points, at 75-47 following a
Bella Toomey jumper with 4:11 remaining. FDU held the Sharks to 15 points or less in three of the four quarters and continued its season-long trend of tough defense that saw the Knights allow just 51.1 points per game, best in the NEC and No. 2 in Division I.
- FDU head coach
Stephanie Gaitley, the NEC Brenda Reilly Coach of the Year, is now making her 11th trip to March Madness and is just the fourth head coach in NCAA Division I history to coach four different teams to the NCAA Tournament. Gaitley, who is in her third season at FDU, accomplished the feat at Richmond (1990, 1991), Saint Joseph's (1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000) and Fordham (2014, 2019) prior to her two straight trips with the Knights.
- The Knights have now won four NEC tournament titles and are the fifth program in conference history to record back-to-back titles.
- FDU's 30th win ties the NEC record for overall wins in a season, previously set by Quinnipiac in 2012-2013.
- FDU had six players finish in double figures, led by
Akeelah Lafleur's 15 points and three rebounds. All-NEC First Teamer
Ava Renninger filled the stat sheet for the Knights with a double-double, scoring 13 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and adding six assists and two steals.
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Reese Downey and Toomey also had 12 points apiece (including Toomey going 6-for-6 from the field),
Kailee McDonald pitched in 11, and
Leah Crosby had a double-double of her own with 10 points, 14 rebounds and two assists.
FDU now waits to find out their opponent in their second straight NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship appearance. The Selection Show will air at 8 p.m. ET Sunday night on ESPN and there will be a watch party at the Bogota Savings Center that is open to the public and media, also starting at 8 p.m.
Connect with FDU Women's Basketball on X and Instagram, @FDUKnightsWBB.
Greater Alliance Federal Credit Union is the official sponsor of the 2026 FDU women's basketball postseason.
