DALLAS, Pa. – Senior forward Shalette Brown double-doubled for the sixth time in the last seven games as the Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham women's basketball team handled Misericordia University 80-64 at the Anderson Sports-Health Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Devils (14-5, 6-2 MAC Freedom) currently sit in second place in the MAC Freedom standings trailing DeSales University (14-5, 7-1 MAC Freedom) by one game.
Brown continued her outstanding senior campaign by tallying 21 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Today's effort marked the 15th double-double this season for the veteran forward, which is fourth most in the country, while her 14.4 rebounds per game rank fifth in the nation.
Junior center Rachel Groom led all scorers with 22 points and added seven boards to her ledger in the victory. Groom's post-play was a major reason for the Devils' dominance in the paint as they outscored the host Cougars 44-26 from close range.
Trailing 8-6 in the early going, the Devils took control with a 12-0 run, bookended by layup from Brown and an Alyssa McDonough 3-pointer. Over that stretch, the Devils forced three Cougar turnovers, while connecting on 5-of-7 from the field. Misericordia finished the quarter strong and cut into the deficit but the Devils led 24-17 after one period of play.
The Cougars turned the tide in the second frame with an 11-2 run. The home team did most of its damage at the charity stripe, going 5-for-5 at the line and nabbing a slim 35-34 lead. However, pair of McDonough free throws with 25 seconds left gave the Devils a 36-35 halftime edge. McDonough was a flawless 10-for-10 from the line and finished with 17 points and six helpers in the contest.
The first half box score reflected the tightness of the contest as the teams posted nearly identical numbers across the board. FDU-Florham shot 45.2 percent from the floor, while the Cougars netted 43.3 percent and both teams knocked down 33.3 percent from long range and were perfect from the line.
Brown led all scorers at the break with 12 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting. Freshman forward Rachel Carmody paced the Cougars with 10 points on 80 percent from the field.
The Devils' feisty defense took control in the third, highlighted by back-to-back steals, which stretched the lead to 45-37. Brown jumped into the passing lane and went coast-to-coast for a layup, and on the ensuing possession, Rachel Groom deflected a Cougars' entry feed before firing an outlet pass to Danielle Leguillou, who swiftly laid the ball in at the other end.
Leguillou then came up with her own theft before knocking down a 3-pointer that gave the Devils a double-digit cushion. The second-year guard helped continue the momentum by setting up Groom for a layup on the Devils' next offensive trip. Leguillou dished out five assists to go along with her nine points on the afternoon.
FDU-Florham remained in control from that point on, stretching its lead to as much as 17 points (67-50) in the final five minutes before closing out the victory.
Carmody, Japriya Carroll, and Justine Seely all chipped in 14 points for the Cougars in the loss. Seely grabbed seven rebounds and did a solid job of turning away the Devils in the paint with five blocked shots.
FDU-Florham will look to stretch its winning streak to five when they return to action this Wednesday, February 3 against King's College. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at the Ferguson Recreation Center.
Additional content:
Read D3hoops.com's feature on the 2015-16 Devils
