STOP #3: SFC 64, FDU 56

2013 NEC WBB ROAD TRIP
STOP #3: Pope Physical Education Center, Brooklyn Heights, NY
Saturday, January 19, 2013 - 2pm

ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN TERRIERS 64 (6-10, 3-2), FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON KNIGHTS 56 (8-8, 3-2)  

THE GAME

St. Francis Brooklyn and Fairleigh Dickinson have been two of the biggest surprises so far in the early conference season. While the Knights have been to the postseason four out of the last five seasons, they lost their second leading scorer in program history to graduation, in Mariyah Laury. FDU hasn’t had a winning overall season since 1993 and hasn’t recorded a winning conference season since 2004. The Knights, picked tenth in the pre-season poll, came in at 3-1 in conference play, good for third in the conference standings. On the other side, the Terriers are just a few years removed from a winless conference season, and last year won just four games overall. St. Francis didn’t let an 11th place pre-season pick deter them, as they came in already with five wins on the year, including an upset on the road two weeks ago of the reigning champs, Sacred Heart.  

The thing that stood out to me was the great job St. Francis did defensively on FDU from the opening tip. While Stephanie Isaacs drained two threes to give the Knights a 6-4 lead at the first media timeout, she had to take those threes because the Terriers were denying everything inside. For example, Erika Livermore, one of four NEC players averaging a double-double, early on tried to get to the basket driving the baseline. She saw her path immediately cut off by Jessica Kaufman and had to pass back out. Another time, the Knights tried to get Livermore the ball by the baseline, only to have Kaufman jump in the way of the passing lane and tip the ball out of her grasp. Livermore didn’t get her first clean look at the basket until over six minutes in, and she had to work for it, with a spin move in the lane. Livermore would pick up her second foul with 4:43 remaining in the first half. With Livermore out of the game, the Terriers finished the first half on a 13-5 run, to take a 33-28 lead into intermission. FDU shot just 8 for 28 (28.6%) from the floor in the first half.

Multiple times FDU tried to take it to the basket and every single time they were challenged. Danielle Pankey, the Knights leading scorer, tried to drive to the bucket, only to run into two defenders, arms outstretched high like trees, altering her shot and forcing it to be off the mark. Another time, Pankey tried to drive to the basket and was rejected. On the scoreboard though, the Knights did manage to stay close the entire second half, a tremendous feat considering how hard they had to work to just get good looks.

The game came down to the final few minutes, tied at 53 with 3:37 remaining after Erika Livermore showed off her range with an 18 foot jumper, a step inside of the three point line. The Terriers would net the next two buckets before the Knights drew within one, 57-56, after a three by Miah Register with 1:40 to go. The dagger would come just seconds later, as Kaufman drove to the basket along the baseline, knocking the ball through off of the glass while drawing a foul. Even though she would miss the ensuing free throw, the Knights would not be able to draw any closer. The Terriers would go on to make their free throws and send the packed Pope PE Center home happy with a 64-56 win.

St. Francis Brooklyn is a team that definitely would be leading the NEC in “hustle plays” if there was such a stat. This is a team that somehow has developed a much different attitude and energy that they didn’t have the last few seasons. The way they hustle on every play, loose balls, rebounds, getting in good positions and making smart plays on defense, it’s fun to watch. Even the little things, like the bench on their feet cheering their teammates after every play, have a different feel than year’s past. I said it after I saw the Terriers two weeks ago and I’m even more confident in it now…the Terriers will be in the race for a playoff spot this year. And even if they don’t get there, they are going to be a pesky team that no one wants to play in February, because they battle hard as a team and don’t give any teams an easy night. They remind me a lot of last year’s Mount St. Mary’s team, as a team that gave opponents a 40 minute battle every single night, win or lose.

Kiley Grabbe did a phenomenal job off the bench today. She scored seven points and recorded a career high four blocks. Even more impressive was what didn’t show up in the box score. First was her energy, second was her defensive presence. She was one of those tall trees that greeted any Knights who tried to enter the lane. Sarah Benedetti led the Terriers with 18 points and Leah Fechko started and scored 13. For FDU, Erika Livermore picked up her lucky 13th double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Pankey led the team in points with 14. The Terriers had 10 different players take the floor, and all 10 found their way into the scoring column. SFC held a 39-35 edge in rebounding, 19-12 on the offensive glass. St. Francis also forced 19 turnovers, scoring 19 points off those turnovers.

The Knights will look to rebound when they return home on Monday for a MLK day matinee against LIU-Brooklyn. Meanwhile, St. Francis Brooklyn will welcome in the other NJ school, the Monmouth Hawks. Both teams currently sit at 3-2 in conference play, and will meet up again February 18th in Hackensack.  

CD POST GAME RECAP

NEC Front Row archive

SFC Game Recap

FDU Game Recap

Box Score

THREE STARS

1. Kiley Grabbe, SFC – 7 points, 2 rebounds, 4 blocks, 18 minutes

2. Sarah Benedetti, SFC – 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 33 minutes

3. Leah Fechko, SFC - 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 27 minutes

THE VENUE

Located on Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights, NY, the Pope Physical Education Center serves as the home of the Terriers. On this day, a local kids group, the New York Road Runners, were in attendance. I’ve been covering women’s basketball at St. Francis Brooklyn for the last decade, and I haven’t seen the seats as packed for a women’s hoops game as I did on this day. Bravo to Brooklyn!  I also found out that there’s a Shake Shack a short walk from the gym. If there’s anything that I’m knowledgeable/passionate enough to talk about as much as NEC women’s basketball, it’s good tasting food. I should devote a future “Road Trip” blog entry to “A Taste of the NEC” featuring some of the best eateries at or around NEC schools. After my Shackburger and Red Velvet custard today, the Shake Shack would definitely be on that list.  

AROUND THE NEC

SACRED HEART 71, ST. FRANCIS 50 – The Pioneers came out with one of more impressive, dominant performances in recent memory, going on the road to hand St. Francis their first conference defeat of 2013. Erika Norman recorded 16 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, and 7 steals in the victory. The Red Flash, who came into the day scoring 65.4 points per game and shooting 39.8% from the field, were held to 50 points and 29.8% shooting. After struggling the last two Saturdays, this was a much needed win for the reigning champs.

CCSU 82, WAGNER 53 – CCSU scored 52 of their season high 82 points in the paint in a victory over the Seahawks. Central also collected a season high 61 rebounds on the afternoon. After missing out on the NEC tournament last season, the Blue Devils currently sit at 3-2 in the NEC standings.

MONMOUTH 63, LIU-BROOKLYN 62 – Elsewhere in Brooklyn, the Monmouth Hawks completed a thrilling comeback, stealing a victory at the WRAC against the Blackbirds. A year after their last regular season meeting ended with a Chanel Gomez buzzer beater, these two took it to the final seconds once again. The Hawks had erased a 15 point second half deficit, but with 16 seconds left, the Blackbirds were in front by one. Off an inbounds, Chevannah Paalvast drove to the basket for the game winning layup with just 3.6 seconds to spare.

QUINNIPIAC 61, ROBERT MORRIS 52– Quinnipiac moved to 5-0 in NEC play, the lone remaining NEC unbeaten, with a road victory at Robert Morris. Three Bobcats were in double figures scoring. Felicia Barron netted 14, Brittany McQuain scored 12 with seven rebounds, and Jasmine Martin added 11. The Bobcats defense forced 28 turnovers, and recorded 29 points off of those Colonials miscues. A Bobcat win at St. Francis on Monday night would equal their program’s best start, when they went 15-2 to begin their 2008 regular season championship run.

MOUNT 86, BRYANT 84 (OT) – Mount trailed by 17 at halftime, and managed to come back to take the lead late in the second half. Mount led 77-75 after a Sydney Henderson layup with four seconds left. Danielle Douglas went to the line and calm, cool, and collected, converted a pair of free throws with 0.2 left on the clock, to force overtime. In the bonus session, the Mount held an 86-84 lead. Bryant saw three layup opportunities from right in front of the basket to try and tie the game, but couldn’t convert before the final buzzer sounded. Mount’s 4-1 NEC start is their best mark through five games since 1999-00.

NEXT WEEK

Not just one, but two, NEC women’s basketball games will be hitting the airwaves next weekend. First, the Knights will visit the Quinnipiac Bobcats for a 2:30pm game televised on FCS and ESPN3. Then, about a half an hour down the Merritt Parkway, the Sacred Heart Pioneers will host the Monmouth Hawks in a 2012 NEC Championship Game rematch. The Pioneers took down the Hawks last March at the Pitt Center, 58-48, to capture their program’s third conference championship. The game will also air on FCS and ESPN3.

 

2013 NEC WBB ROAD TRIP
STOP #3: Pope Physical Education Center, Brooklyn Heights, NY
Saturday, January 19, 2013 - 2pm

Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (8-7, 3-1) at St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (5-10, 2-2)

Watch on NEC Front Row

SFC Game Notes

FDU Game Notes 

PRE-GAME NOTES

Two teams who are among the handful of surprises through the first four games of the 2013 Northeast Conference schedule are set to collide on Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn Heights, NY, as the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers play host to the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. The Knights finished 13-18 last season, and qualified for the playoffs as the number eight seed. FDU hasn’t had a winning overall season since 1993, or a winning conference season since 2004. After a 1-4 start in a rough non-conference schedule, the Knights have won seven of their last nine games and sit at 3-1 in NEC play, good for third place in the latest standings. FDU hasn’t started 4-1 in conference play since 2002. That season they finished 9-9 and were seeded seventh in the NEC tournament. On the other side, the Terriers haven’t been to the playoffs since 2008, and are coming off a season where they won just four games overall. This season, the Terriers have already won five, and sit at 2-2 in conference play, tied with four other teams for fifth place.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Saturday will mark the 59th all-time meeting between the two schools, and the first of two meetings this season. The schools split the series in 2012, each winning on the opposition’s home court. Prior to last February’s, 62-47 Terrier victory, FDU had won the previous six straight. FDU has currently won six of the last eight encounters overall. The teams have also met twice in the NEC Tournament, with St. Francis taking both meetings. First the Terriers came away with a win in the 1995 first round, 73-70, and then again came up winners in the 1997 first round, 82-54. From 1979 to 1993, the Knights had won 21 straight head to head meetings against St. Francis.

THE “EWING THEORY” HITS FDU?

Several years ago Bill Simmons, from ESPN and now editor-in-chief of Grantland.com, popularized what’s been called the “Ewing Theory.” The premise of the Ewing Theory is that when a longtime superstar who’s never won a championship, leaves a team either by injury, trade, free agency (or in this case graduation), and therefore the team is then written off by the media and so called "experts", the team will than play better than when they had the superstar player. The prime example is when Patrick Ewing, of the New York Knicks, tore his Achilles tendon in a first round 1999 playoff series against the top seeded Indiana Pacers. The eighth seeded Knicks went on, without Ewing, to upset Indiana and advance all the way to the NBA Finals. Other examples include: the 2001 Seattle Mariners winning 116 games a year after losing Alex Rodriguez, the 1998 Tennessee Volunteers winning a national football championship a year after Payton Manning left, the 2001 New England Patriots winning the Super Bowl with backup quarterback Tom Brady after Drew Bledsoe was injured earlier in the season, and the 1996 New York Yankees winning the World Series the year after Don Mattingly retired. The NEC’s version of the “Ewing Theory” may be currently taking place.

Mariyah Laury was an absolute fantastic performer and a dynamic scorer all four of the seasons she spent in a Knights uniform. The Orange, NJ native netted 1,923 career points, good for second in the Fairleigh Dickinson all-time scoring record books. With Laury, a four time all-conference performer, now graduated, the Knights obviously had a huge hole to fill going into 2013. Minus Laury, the expectations from those on the outside of the FDU Knights women’s basketball locker room were not set that high, as a tenth place forecast in the pre-season poll suggested. However, to this point, a rebuilding year or any kind of misstep in the absence of their four year scoring superstar has not been in the cards. The Knights are off to their best conference start in over a decade and may challenge for their first winning overall season in almost two decades. Through 15 games, FDU is currently 2 wins better overall, and in conference, than they were a year ago.

So the question is, how exactly are the Knights getting it done? I’ll offer up three suggestions. First, is the play of Danielle Pankey. The Middletown, NJ redshirt junior has become confident and comfortable in the scoring guard role that Laury has had in the past. Pankey has made steady improvement every year since an injury in her freshman year of 2010 forced her to redshirt. In 2011, Pankey returned healthy, led the team with 29 starts, and was on the All-Rookie squad, averaging 9.3 points. Last year, she upped her scoring average to 10.9 points per game. This year, she has taken advantage of her extra opportunities, and currently sits at third in the conference, averaging 16.3 points per night. To compare, last year after 15 games, Laury led the team with a 14.9 scoring average. This means that Pankey is actually outscoring Laury’s output from this point last year by about a point and a half. Over her last 11 games, Pankey is averaging 17.6 points and the Knights have gone 8-3.

Second, has been the outstanding inside presence of Erika Livermore. The sophomore is one of four NEC players averaging a double-double, and has recorded one in 12 of the 15 games this year. Her 12 double-doubles are fourth most in the nation while her 11.9 rebounds per game serve as the sixth best mark in the country. Last year, for much of the season, Livermore would come off the bench. This year, she has been a main focal point, and has created problems for opposing defenses right from the start. Livermore is currently averaging 10 more minutes than she did last season. A scary thought for opponents has been that Livermore continues to grow and improve on the court at such a rapid rate. She has taken home the NEC player of the week award twice already during this young season.

Finally, is the experience factor that the team has built up under head coach Pete Cinella. Besides the loss of Laury, the Knights returned all four other starters, and eight letterwinners overall. Last year the Knights made the playoffs, having to go on the road to battle the eventual champs from Sacred Heart. Despite being the overwhelming underdogs, the Knights gave the Pioneers their biggest scare of last postseason, leading by one with two minutes left in regulation. Even though they would end up falling by four, the experience that this team gained down the stretch of last year shouldn’t be overlooked.

With the core of their team back, in addition to several key newcomers like Torrie Childs and Miah Register, with experience, and with several key players making the most of their added responsibilities/opportunities, it really shouldn’t seem like that much of a surprise that, near the completion of the first third of the conference play, FDU finds itself toward the top of the standings. 

SFC’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION

On the SFC official athletics website, (www.sfcathletics.com) athletic communications senior assistant Patrick McCormack wrote a fantastic story about former high school, and current Terrier teammates Katie Fox and Leah Fechko. Both players were a part of Twinsburg High’s first division state championship season back in Twinsburg, Ohio. Fox came to St. Francis last year, starting every game. She took on a lot of ballhanding/distributing responsibilities right away, averaging 2.7 points and 2.1 assists per game in 2012. This year, her numbers are about the same at 2.5 and 2.6, respectively. The story goes on to say that it was Fox who helped draw the St. Francis coach’s attention to Fechko by showing them some of Fechko’s high school game tapes. Now officially in the Terrier uniform, Fechko is averaging 3.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. No doubt that bringing in players from winning traditions and championship winning programs, have helped St. Francis take their first few steps in their program’s turnaround. Under first year head coach John Thurston, the Terriers have already surpassed their overall and conference win total from all of last year.

UPSET CITY

Two weeks ago, I was courtside at the Pitt Center to see St. Francis Brooklyn start their conference year off at 1-0, knocking off the reigning champions from Sacred Heart 56-47. Three of the keys to victory in that game are actually areas that the Terriers have excelled at all season long. In the game against Sacred Heart, the Terriers frustrated Pioneer shooters all afternoon. SHU shot just 8 for 30 in the first half (26.7%) and 31.1% from the field for the game. The Pioneers were held to just 47 points, their second lowest scoring output of the season to that point. On the season the Terriers lead the NEC in field goal percentage defense, forcing opponents to shoot just .367, while also featuring the second best scoring defense in the league, allowing just 59.3 points per game.

Against the Pioneers the Terriers also had a significant advantage in depth. Their bench outscored SHU 22-12, with 14 points of those 22 points coming from Jasmin Robinson. On the season, the St. Francis Brooklyn bench is outscoring their opponents 18.7-12.4, on average.

The final X-factor for SFC was the three-ball. The Terriers were able to build up a double digit lead in large part to their hot hand from behind the arc, especially early on against Sacred Heart. The Terriers made six of their first 10 shots from downtown that afternoon. On the season St. Francis is second in the NEC with 104 three’s made and a .364 three point field goal percentage. St. Francis Brooklyn has also recorded at least one three in 217 straight games, a streak dating back to November, 2005.

LAST TIME OUT

Monday night, the Terriers fell at home to Mount St. Mary’s 49-45. St. Francis was held the final 4:58 without a field goal. The game featured five ties and nine lead changes. Mount’s Tara Lonergan provided the game winning basket, while Selina Mann chipped in the clinching free throws in the final seconds. 

After allowing a 17-2 lead to disappear in their prior game, a loss, against the St. Francis University Red Flash, the Knights bounced back with a commanding 80-68 win over Robert Morris in a Monday afternoon matinee at Stratis Arena. The Knights shot a season high 46.7 percent from the field, while also tallying season highs in field goals made, three point field goals, assists, and blocks. FDU held Artemis Spanou, one of the top rebound artists in the nation, in check for most of the game.

AROUND THE NEC

In addition to the Terriers/Knights game, another big game to follow is the battle in Loretto, where the St. Francis Red Flash will square off with the Sacred Heart Pioneers. In a contest featuring the two teams who have hoisted the last three NEC Championship trophies, the Red Flash will look to continue their perfect conference start under Joe Haigh. At the same time, the Pioneers will look to dig themselves out of an early 1-3 hole. With Sacred Heart never having finished lower than third in the NEC standings, a win on the road in Loretto could be the spark they need to climb the ladder back up the ranks. This game will be an early-bird 11:30am start, and televised Saturday morning on FCS and ESPN3. The NEC's top WBB broadcast crew, Paul Dottino and Phyllis Mangina, will be on the call.

STOP #2: QU 74, SHU 45

2013 NEC WBB ROAD TRIP
STOP #2: TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, CT
Saturday, January 12, 2013 - 12pm

 QUINNIPIAC BOBCATS 74 (12-2, 3-0), SACRED HEART PIONEERS 45 (9-6, 1-2) 

THE GAME

This was a game that was circled on the calendar from the moment that conference schedules came out months ago. Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac were the top two teams in the NEC standings last year and were forecasted as being the top two teams in the NEC this year. With their first encounter scheduled for just the second conference weekend, this meeting served to be an early season “measuring stick” type of game. With all of their key pieces back, we knew Quinnipiac was going to be strong in 2013, but exactly how strong? Match them up against the reigning champions and perhaps we could gather some more insight.

The Pioneers started off very strong, hitting four of their first eight shots and jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead. With six minutes gone by the Pioneers were in front 11-9, until Bobcat junior Brittany McQuain took over. McQuain netted seven straight points for Quinnipiac to give them the lead for the first time on the afternoon.

The turning point came at the midway point of the first half, with QU holding onto a slim 16-15 lead. The Bobcats would finish the first half on a 19-6 run, holding Sacred Heart without a field goal from the 7:13 mark to the final minute of the half. From there, Quinnipiac would pull away, defeating the reigning champs 74-45. QU moves to 12-2 on the season, continuing their best start since 2008, when they began 15-2, leading to their lone regular season championship. McQuain led all scorers with 21 points, in addition to 10 rebounds. Both members of the QU backcourt reached double figures in scoring with Felicia Barron netting 13, and Jasmine Martin recording 14. Sacred Heart was led by Morgan Merriman with 13 points.

Several things stand out from this game, with the first being the turnovers. Sacred Heart turned the ball over 28 times, which led to 23 Bobcat points off of those turnovers. Second, Gaby Washington, the Pioneers leading scorer, was held in check on the afternoon. Washington scored just 2 points on a 1-14 shooting day. As a team, the Bobcat defense held the Pioneers to a season low 45 points.

The third and final thing that was very evident was the talent and depth of the Bobcats as a team. Need someone to handle the point, set up teammates, and not turn the ball over? Check...Boo Abshire was running the show pretty solid last year as a freshman, now she has another year of experience under her belt. Need points? Check…they have a couple scorers, and don’t need to rely on the same one to score all the points every night. Need defense? Check…Barron is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and is one of the best in the league in steals. Need depth? Check…their second five can handle things on the floor just as efficiently as their starting five. Coach Fabbri can mix and match and make substitutions (and early in today's game, the subs were pretty frequent) without having to worry about her team missing a beat. That brings us to coaching. Check…they have that too, as Coach Fabbri is one of best around, not just in the NEC but the entire nation. I commented prior to the game that if I had a daughter playing college basketball, I’d want her to play for a coach like Tricia Fabbri. The Bobcats are a fantastic collection of talent, a great team in every sense of the word. They work phenomenal as a unit and seemingly have all the pieces to the puzzle to win a championship in 2013.

Brittany McQuain was our Player of the Game on the afternoon, recording her third double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds. She’s also had five games this year where she fell one or two rebounds shy of a double-double. In a league where there are a bunch of talented players at the forward position, McQuain has kind of gone under the radar so far in her career. However, her growth over the last few seasons has made her a dominant presence that’s going to be harder to keep under the radar going forward. As coach Fabbri commented after the game, she’s not just dominant in the paint, but now has developed a comfort level in hitting free throw line/mid-range jumpers when needed/available. It’s just an added dimension to her game that makes her even more dangerous than before.

Both teams will get immediate tests going forward. This game started a stretch of seven out of nine away from the Pitt Center for Sacred Heart, while Quinnipiac will play five of their next seven away from home. Following Saturday’s action, the Bobcats and the St. Francis Red Flash are the lone two remaining unbeaten teams left in NEC play. Quinnipiac’s next three games, all on the road, are at Bryant, at Robert Morris, and then at the unbeaten Red Flash next Monday night. The Pioneers and Bobcats will collide on the hardwood one more time this season, Saturday, February 23^rd, at the Pitt Center.

CD POST GAME RECAP  
 

 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS 

NEC Front Row archive 

QU Game Recap

SHU Game Recap 

Box Score


THREE STARS

1. Brittany McQuain, QU – 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 33 minutes

2. Jasmine Martin, QU – 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 32 minutes

3. Felicia Barron, QU - 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 30 minutes

THE VENUE

You would really have to go out of your way to find a problem with the TD Bank Sports Center. It’s a first class facility that I always enjoy having the opportunity to visit. Upon entering the building, it instantly brought to mind the 2010 NEC Men’s Basketball Championship Game – Quinnipiac vs. Robert Morris. Watching the game on ESPN, I have never seen a more awesome, vocal, and yellow environment. The Bobcats know how to put on a show, as the afternoon featured dramatic lighting for the starting lineups, live singers for the national anthem, and great graphics on the scoreboard. 

AROUND THE NEC

CCSU 59, BRYANT 50 – Closer game than the final score says, it was a one point game going into the final minute before CCSU made their free throws late to win by nine. The Blue Devils pick up their first NEC win of 2013.

ST. FRANCIS-BROOKLYN 72, WAGNER 66 – This was another tight one that went into the final minute as a one possession game. With St. Francis up 65-63, Eilidh Simpson connected on a three point dagger for the Terriers. Sarah Beneditti had a monster game of 18 points and 15 rebounds to lead SFC to the win.

MOUNT 66, LIU BROOKLYN 41 – In the first WBB game at the brand new Barclays Center, the Mountaineers came away with a 25 point win. Mount shot over 50% for the game, including shooting 57.7% in a 39 point second half.

MONMOUTH 58, ROBERT MORRIS 47 – Monmouth handed Robert Morris their first conference loss of the season, led by Carly Thibault and Sara English who each netted 14 points. Artemis Spanou brought down a career high 21 rebounds for the Colonials.

ST. FRANCIS 68, FDU 50 – In a battle of NEC unbeatens, the Red Flash came away with an 18 point win Hackensack. The Knights jumped out to a 17-2 lead to start the game, but the Flash would rally to take the lead 29-28 at the half. SFU scored the first 11 points after halftime, and FDU wouldn’t get any closer. Alli Williams led SFU with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 steals – 1 steal shy of a triple double. Erika Livermore picked up her 11^th double-double of the season for FDU with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

NEXT WEEK

The MLK weekend NEC slate is highlighted by Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart heading to the Keystone State for huge road tests at St. Francis and Robert Morris. Next week’s road trip game is still TBD based on Monday night’s results. However, I can confirm the location. I’ll be at the Pope Physical Education Center in Brooklyn Heights, NY next weekend, home of the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers. I’ll either cover the Saturday, January 19^th game against Fairleigh Dickinson at 2pm, or the MLK Day 2pm matinee on Monday, January 21^st against the Monmouth Hawks. Stay tuned to the blog Monday night/Tuesday morning for confirmation on the day of next week’s road trip visit to Brooklyn!