The FDU women’s basketball team was bested in a back and forth Northeast Conference matchup at home to the Mount. St. Mary’s Mountaineers 69-61 on Saturday.

This was the Knights third consecutive loss after getting off to their best conference start since 1993.

The loss brings the Knights record to 7-13 (4-5) on the season. The Mountaineers record is now 11-9 (6-2). 

Both teams struggled to hold onto the ball all game. The Knights committed 22 turnovers while the Mountaineers had 17 turnovers of their own. The 22 turnovers was tied for the Knights third-most all season.

The Knights headed into the fourth quarter leading 49-46, but had issues on both ends of the floor in the game’s final 10 minutes. 

The Knights were outscored 23-12 in the final quarter. FDU’s offense was unable to get into any rhythm in the game’s most pivotal moments. The Knights shot 33% from the field in the fourth quarter, while the Knights defense allowed their opponents to shoot 87% in the quarter.

Following a strong third quarter where the Knights outscored the opposition by 8 points, 16-8, all momentum swung back in the direction of Mount St. Mary once the fourth quarter began.

Freshman guard Aniya Bell and sophomore guard Rachael Niles led the way for the Knights with 14 points a piece. Niles played all 40 minutes in the game.

 Senior forward Lauren Francillon also scored in double figures with 12 points. 

Sophomore guard Michaela Harrison led the Mountaineers with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Junior guard Jatarrikah Settle scored 13 points and guard Kendall Bresee added 11 points of her own on Saturday.

The injury bug ran rampant all over the Knights locker room heading into the game. Only nine players suited up for the Knights on Saturday. The the team’s leading scorer, junior forward Madison Stanley, was one of the players forced to sit out because of a foot injury.

 Stanley is averaging 12.3 points-per-game this season.

The Knights will look to bounce back on Monday Feb. 3 when they go on the road to take on the Wagner Seahawks.

Photo by Kenneth Ramirez Castro