MADISON, N.J. – In a tightly contested MAC Freedom game, the Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham women's basketball team was able to piece together a fourth quarter surge that helped lift them past the Delaware Valley University Aggies 67-58 on Wednesday night at the Ferguson Recreation Center.
Shalette Brown posted a stellar outing for the Devils (11-5, 3-2 MAC Freedom), totaling 23 points, 20 rebounds and four steals in the win over the Aggies (6-10, 2-3 MAC Freedom). The senior forward has tallied 20 or more rebounds now in three of her last four games. Meanwhile, junior guard Alyssa McDonough was a huge spark as she added 20 points.
The Devils grabbed the lead midway through the opening quarter once McDonough and Danielle Leguillou knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers. FDU-Florham was able to hold onto that lead into the second quarter but with four minutes remaining in the half, a Brianna Rivello layup gave the Aggies a one-point advantage.
Delaware Valley had an efficient scoring spurt in the first half as they shot 53 percent as a team. Rivello alongside senior guard Eireann Anastasi were able to make that possible as they combined to score 23 of the team's 30 points in the half on 11-of-16 shooting from the field.
FDU-Florham quickly erased the one-point deficit by going on an early 5-0 run.
Along the way, the Devils were able to draw fouls and they began to make a living from the charity stripe, shooting 8-for-12 as a team in the third stanza.
The two teams were neck and neck, but with just over a minute left, McDonough got the ball near the basket and scored while getting fouled. The junior guard completed the three-point play by knocking down the foul shot to extend the Devils' lead to four.
McDonough and Brown were able to ice the game from then on out at the foul line, shooting a combined 5-for-8. The Devils finished the contest on a 10-2 run to seal the 67-58 victory.
FDU-Florham will be back in action on Friday, January 22 to face off against Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. at 3 p.m.
