Box Score MADISON, N.J. – The sixth-ranked FDU-Florham Devils women's basketball team overcame a slow first half to remain unbeaten, defeating Wilkes University 66-49 on Wednesday night at the Ferguson Recreation Center.
The Devils (22-0, 11-0 Freedom) trailed at the half for only the second time this season, however, they regrouped at intermission and outscored the Lady Colonels 46-27 in the second stanza to remain unblemished on the season.
Five Devils scored in double-figures, led by 12 points off of the bench from
Leigh-Ann Lively (Bangor, Pa./Notre Dame). Lively shot 4-for-8 from the floor and knocked down two three-pointers on the night.
After the two teams swapped missed shots and turnovers over the game's first 11 minutes, Wilkes (5-17, 2-9 Freedom) held a 12-7 lead with 8:23 remaining in the opening stanza. The Devils opened the game a frigid 3-for-22 from the floor and only converted three of their first 10 shots from the free throw line. The FDU-Florham defense was stellar and caused 14 Lady Colonel turnovers, but their 19.4 percent shooting in the first half allowed Wilkes to head into intermission with a 22-20 advantage.
FDU-Florham righted the ship in the second half and used an 8-0 run to build a 45-36 lead with 9:04 remaining in regulation. The Devils followed the run with a 13-3 spurt over the next four minutes to stake a 17-point lead, which proved to be insurmountable for the Lady Colonels.
Freshman guard
Alyssa McDonough (Parlin, N.J./Sayreville) tallied 11 points, while
Shalette Brown (Somerset, N.J./Franklin),
Kyra Dayon (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Central), and
Rachel Groom (Edison, N.J./Edison) all totaled 10 points in the win. In addition, Brown and Groom each hauled in seven rebounds and combined to shoot 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) on the night.
The Devils forced 27 turnovers, which resulted in 19 points on the offensive end of the floor.
Haley Mesaros paced the Lady Colonels with 14 points, Wilkes' leading-scorer
Elena Stambone chipped in with 12 points in the loss.
Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham looks to continue their winning ways when they take on DeSales University this Saturday, February 15
th at 1 p.m.
