Thursday, January 31, 2002

BOXSCORE

Knights Get First-Ever Win Over Sacred Heart, 64-60
Fairleigh Dickinson now 8-0 in Rothman this season

Hackensack, NJ -- The Fairleigh Dickinson (12-7, 7-3 NEC) women's basketball team defeated the Sacred Heart (11-9, 7-4 NEC) Pioneers for the first time ever to move to 8-0 in the Rothman Center this season.  The win puts the Knights five games over .500 for the first time since 1992-93 and the 12 victories surpass the win totals from each of the previous four seasons with eight regular season games still left to play.  At 7-3 in conference action the Knights move into sole possession of second place in the standings.

The Pioneers held a slight lead in the beginning of the game until a three-point play from the Knights’ Kay Odenwaelder (Goshen, Conn.) began a 7-0 run to give Fairleigh Dickinson the 12-9 lead with 12:15 in the half.  Sacred Heart would manage to tie the score five times before the break but the Knights took a 33-28 lead going into the lockerroom.

The Knights held steady in the beginning of the second half until the Pioneers scored nine straight from 16:08 to 14:04 to take a 43-41 lead.  Sacred Heart would not get further away as the Knights quickly took the lead back, for good this time, on two free throws by Meaghan Allan (Millersville, PA) with 11:54 remaining.  Down by eight points, 55-47 at 8:28, the Pioneers would make one more run at it with seven straight points, including five from Leslie Newhard (Northampton, PA) but it was not enough as the Knights clung tightly to their narrow lead.  Three different Knights would combine for 6-of-6 at the line in the last four minutes of the game as FDU earned their first victory over the Pioneers in five tries.

Odenwaelder led the Knights with 17 points, adding six rebounds.  Natallia Marchanka (Rechitsa, Belarus) scored nine points, grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, dished out seven assists and made four steals in her sixth full 40 minute game this season.  Kanesha Wright (Somerdale, NJ) had 10 points and six rebounds for the Knights.

Three Pioneers scored in double-figures including Brooke Kelly (Medford, NJ) with 14 points and Newhard with 13 points.  Both added a game-high nine rebounds while Brooke Rutnik (Albany, NY) scored 11 points and dished out three assists.

The Knights are back in action at the Rothman Center on Saturday, February 2^nd when they take on the Wagner Seahawks for a 4:30 p.m. game.

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