Looking to build off the victory from the first game were the Terriers, who started off the game with five consecutive points from freshman forward Fruzsina Horvath. The Hungarian native attempted to build off a stellar double-digit performance during the opening game of the series. The opening stanza continued to go in favor of the home team, while the supporting cast stepped up. Sophomore guard Jada McMillan grabbed a lay-up off a Madison Stanley turnover, which extended St. Francis' lead to five in the early going. Freshman guard Zharia Hutchinson added a triple from just in front of the Knights' bench to extend her teams' lead.
Following a double digit run for the Knights, the Terriers mounted its comeback in similar fashion from the first game of the series. Senior forward Ally Lassen earned a bucket down low to narrow the Terriers' lead to just one possession. Followed by a Horvath trio, that once again kept it to just a pair, before heading into the locker room.
Out of the locker room in the second half, St. Francis was on a mission to complete the series sweep. The mission was picked up by the young freshmen of Eszter Varga with a basket down low in the post just 15 seconds into the third quarter. Horvath then followed up with her third triple of the game to put the Terriers in front for the first time in nearly 20 minutes. Back and forth action commenced inside the Daniel Lynch '38 Gymnasium with Varga, once again, knocking down a key shot from in front of her own bench, to put the Terriers ahead by one.
St. Francis began mounting its comeback in the final stanza of regulation, where the entire team was locked in. Sophomore guard Alyssa Fisher played a vital role in the lasting moments of regulation, where she stole two in a span of six minutes, and allowed the Terriers to narrow the lead to just a pair off a Horvath bucket. With :23 seconds remaining in regulation, Fisher poked one off the finger-tips of Devyn Scott, who then fouled McMillan. Possession went to the Terriers. On the ensuing play, just four seconds past, Fisher knocks home a straight-away three-point jump shot to tie the game at 64.
For the third-time under head coach Linda Cimino, the Terriers would compete in an overtime contest. St. Francis Brooklyn concluded regulation on a five nothing run, and continued its dominance in extra time with a pair of Lassen points. The Knights' responded, and sealed the fate of the Terriers, as Roters carried the team with seven straight points.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Francis Brooklyn – 74 | Fairleigh Dickinson - 79
- Freshman forward Fruzsina Horvath tallied a team-high 19 points to the scoresheet, while adding a block, three rebounds, and one assist. Horvath converted eight-of-13 from the field, where three of those were from distance in 32 minutes on the hardwood.
- Senior forward Ally Lassen recorded 18 points, while assisting on one basket, grabbing five rebounds, and converting eight-of-13 from the field as well. The Point Pleasant native also blocked one basket in 40 minutes on the court.
- Sophomore guard Nevena Dimitrijevic etched 13 points to the scorebook, where she assisted on seven baskets, stole a pair, and grabbed six rebounds in 42 minutes of game action.
- Sophomore guard Alyssa Fisher provided nine points, with a pair of assists, three steals, and grabbed three key rebounds. Fisher also poked one out of the hands Devyn Scott, which led to the game-tying triple to send the game into overtime. Fisher recorded 40 minutes on the hardwood.
The Terriers return to the hardwood on Saturday, February 13, when they welcome the NEC's leading Red Flash of Saint Francis University to the Daniel Lynch '38 Gymnasium for a two-game series. The contests are both slated to tip-off at 4 p.m. and can be viewed on NEC Front Row by logging onto NECFrontRow.com.