MADISON, N.J. (February 16, 2019) – Senior Kayla Croswell tallied a career-high 32 points on Senior Day as the FDU-Florham women's basketball team topped Wilkes 84-80 Saturday. 

Before the contest, the women's basketball team honored Croswell and Raven Dowling for their contributions on and off the court. FDU ends the regular season with a 9-16 record, finishing 4-10 within the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom. The Devils closed the season by winning their final two contests.

The Devils scored the opening basket of the afternoon when junior Cayla Staggers hit a 15-foot jumper to give them a quick 2-0 lead. Wilkes would quickly respond with five unanswered points, but the Devils were able to tie the score at 10 with 3:54 remaining in the opening quarter. FDU reclaimed the lead following a 9-0 spurt, which resulted in a full timeout for the Colonels. The run was started when junior Jennah Roman hit an open three and concluded with a jumper in the paint from sophomore Aleah Bass. 

Dowling's relentless defending was evident early, with a steal on the Colonels first possession of the second stanza. The theft led to free throw attempts at the other end for the senior, which gave the Devils a six-point lead. A 6-0 run by Wilkes tied the game but the Devils didn't surrender the lead until the Colonels hit a corner three to give them a 28-27 but a free throw by Staggers seconds later tied it with 4:35 left in the second. Wilkes was able to take a three-point lead with 2:18 left in the half, but the Devils finished the half on a 9-0 run to give them a 43-37 lead. 

After trading baskets to begin the third quarter, The Devils went on a 9-0 run spanning over two minutes to extend the led to 58-47. During the run, the Devils defense forced a turnover and held the Colonels to 0-3 shooting. The teams continued to exchange baskets during the period but neither side was able to rattle off a run, and the Devils ended the quarter with a 63-54 lead. 

The Colonels opened the final period on a 6-0 run to make it a three-point game at 63-60, but a steal by Staggers led to an easy layup to give the Devils some cushion. After both teams swapped threes, Wilkes was able to make it a one-point game after a pair of free throws with 6:30 remaining in regulation. Following an and-one by Croswell the Devils led 71-67, however the Colonels would respond with a 6-0 run to give them a 73-71 lead, which was their first lead of the game. 

The Devils quickly responded with a free throw line jumper by Croswell to tie the game. Down by one late, Roman was able to sink two free throws to give the Devils a 77-76 lead with 1:19. The Colonels reclaimed the lead with 58 seconds left in regulation, but Croswell hit a long two to give the Devils a 79-78 lead with 41.1 on the clock. The senior Croswell put the game away, hitting five clutch freebies to seal the victory for the home side. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 
•    Dowling becomes just the third person to eclipse the 400 assist mark in FDU-Florham history. The senior filled the stat sheet with five points, seven assists, five rebounds, and five steals.
•    Roman set a new career high with 26 points and connected on six three-pointers.
•    Croswell become the first Devil to score 30 or more points this season while establishing a new career high with 32 points. 
•    84 points are the second most scored by the Devils this season. 
•    Bass swatted three shots including two on consecutive possessions.