BRUNSWICK, ME – The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team fought their way to a 70-66 win over Skidmore College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at Bowdoin College Friday evening.

The Devils (22-6) will face the winner of Bowdoin vs. Husson tomorrow at 7 p.m.

FDU was led by sophomore captain Taiah Thornton who made the difference with 23 points and her defensive prowess.

Skidmore came close to closing the scoring gap several times in the second half, but Thornton was the spark the Devils needed to hold the Thoroughbreds off.

Thornton closed out the first quarter by forcing a Skidmore turnover and converting on a layup as the Devils went into the second quarter with a 13-10 lead.

It was sophomore Kendrea Williams who set the tone right out of the gate with her 100^th three-pointer of the season on the first basket of the match. Williams finished the night with 11 points and three assists and made a pivotal block on a three-point shot in the final seconds of the game to hold Skidmore off from catching up.

The game served as a milestone for junior captain Raven Dowling whose nine assists in the night broke Dawn Chaplin's 1991-92 program record of single-season assists with a total of 143.

FDU-Florham used a dominant second quarter to earn the victory as a huge steal by junior Kayla Croswell and a good layup led to a 7-0 run for the Devils as they left half time with a 31-25 lead.

Sophomore Gabrielle Harris stunned the crowd with a three-pointer from just past half court as time expired in the half to keep the momentum on the Devils' side. Harris recorded 10 points and seven rebounds in the triumph.

Rebounding was a shortcoming for the Devils, as the Thoroughbreds out-rebounded FDU, 44-34, and earned an outstanding 17 offensive rebounds compared to FDU's nine.

Still, the Devils held on as junior Bria Smith notched her fifth-straight double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.