FDU overpowers LIU, stays unbeaten in NEC

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

TEANECK, N.J. — Every opponent is prepared for in a similar manner.

Each is respected and given the same attention to detail. Even with that in mind, as the minutes wore down and the opening tip was near, a few FDU assistant coaches remarked on how this one should be a battle, probably going down to the wire.

As it played out, it was anything but that.

FDU soundly defeated LIU, 82-49, at the Bogota Savings Bank Center on Saturday afternoon. The win improved the Knights to 26-4 (17-0 NEC) while LIU dropped to 18-10 (13-4 NEC).

FDU got going immediately, as graduate guard Madlena Gerke, celebrated senior day by burying her first three-point attempt of the afternoon. Kailee McDonald followed suit on the next possession with a three of her own. The Knights had a 6-0 lead that would increase to 16-5 with five minutes remaining in the first period. Heading into the second stanza, the Knights had a 30-8 lead. Even a cold shooting second ten minutes didn’t alter things. At halftime, FDU held a 40-22 lead.

Following the half, Kadidia Toure of LIU converted two field goals in the paint. The FDU lead was 14 with only two minutes elapsed in that third period. FDU maintained poise and quickly stopped any hint of an LIU run. Two McDonald threes helped FDU inflate its lead to 26 entering the final period. The final period saw the Knights stay in command.

Points of Emphasis

Tempo-free: LIU entered the contest averaging a 100 offensive efficiency in NEC play. For the game, FDU posted a superlative 126 on the offensive end while limiting coach Neil Harrow’s Sharks to a 75 offensive efficiency, 25 below their norm.

If there is a place where FDU is at the bottom of the NEC, it is in tempo. The Knights average 64 possessions per game. Conversely, LIU averages 71 possessions, a significant difference in tempo. The game’s tempo was 65. At the half, it was a 36-possession affair, which would equate to 72 possessions for the entire game. The pace slowed slightly, especially in the fourth period, but the point is FDU showed the propensity to get out in transition early.

“That’s one thing we wanted to address,” FDU coach Stephanie Gaitley said. “Pushing the pace a little more aggressively. We knew they were down a few players, so we wanted the opportunity to get some transition.”

Kadidia Toure: Back on January 17, FDU needed a field goal by Ava Renninger in the final seconds to escape Brooklyn with a 59-58 victory. In that contest, Toure was a game-high scorer with 22 points. The 6-foot-3 center is averaging 18.7 points per game and shooting 47 percent from the floor. For the game Toure scored 12 points. She shot 5-of-16 from the floor. Toure was matched up by one defender until she caught the ball down low. At that point, a weakside defender helped double-team the Shark standout. By the third period, she was so visibly frustrated to the point that after an aggressive foul, Harrow pulled her out, not wanting to risk her possibly being ejected for a flagrant foul.

“She’s a really good player,” Gaitley said. “She’s going to get hers. We just wanted different people to step up. She’s a really good player.”

Outstanding run by FDU: “Just take them one at a time, baby,” Gaitley said when asked about the recent dominance by her Knights. Since that narrow win at LIU in January, the Knights have had 10 of 11 games decided by double digits.

“I think our kids are locked in at this time of year,” Gaitley observed. “LIU is down a couple players, so we capitalized on that. But I think our biggest statistic was on the boards.”

FDU won the rebounding battle by a 53-26 margin, 19-10 on the offensive glass. Interestingly, Ava Renninger was the game-high rebounder from her guard spot with 12. Toure paced LIU with seven rebounds. Rebecca Osei-Owusu had five of her nine rebounds on the offensive end. FDU’s offensive rebounding led to a 17-7 advantage in second-chance points.

Spreading the wealth: FDU had five players in double figures. McDonald led the way with a game-high 18. Akeelah Lafleur had 11. Leah Crosby,Gerke and Reese Downey had 10 each. FDU had an overwhelming 30-2 edge in bench points. Toure and Solangelei Akridge shared LIU scoring honors with 12 each. Akridge canned four treys in the last period. With Toure exiting in the third period, LIU basically relied on the perimeter.

Notes: The Knights shot 41 percent from the floor and hitting 19-of-20 from the charity stripe. It was also a day that FDU celebrated its women’s basketball alumni. A postgame reception recognized Gerke with a touching video tribute and the alums. Before the tribute, Frank Gaitley, Stephanie’s husband, told everyone Gerke leads the team in 29 charges taken.

Former players Coco Vanderslice Lefkowitz (Gaitley’s sister) and Leslie Porschen, who both played in the late 1970s and early 1980s, were on hand. The two fondly recalled their playing days at the old FDU gym on the Rutherford campus.

Recent alums included Madison Stanley, Abby Conklin and Abby Babore. Stanley is an Iona assistant. Conklin is a video coordinator at Iona and Babore is a preschool teacher in New Jersey, as well as a grade school coach. All three spoke with reverence and program pride regarding this year’s team.

“I see last year’s team in them,” Conklin said. “Different players, different uniform numbers but a lot of confidence, grit, determination and not taking any plays off.”

Much has been said about the development of Leah Crosby and Rebecca Osei-Owusu. Add Akeelah Lafleur to the discussion. The 6-foot-3 freshman knocked down three from deep on the way to her 11 points.

“She’s getting more confidence,” Gaitley said of Lafleur. “She can hit those threes, that’s not by accident.”

LIU wraps up the regular season Thursday at Wagner. FDU hosts Saint Francis at 11 a.m. Thursday.