FDU’s perfection continues after dominant win over Le Moyne

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

TEANECK, N.J. — It was a significant night on several levels for FDU. 

First, a 66-38 victory over Le Moyne. That improved the Knights’ record to a perfect 16-0 in NEC play.

Next, the NEC regular season championship was clinched. With it comes homecourt advantage throughout the conference tournament.

Not to be discounted or overlooked was another outstanding defensive effort by Stephanie Gaitley’s Knights. Thursday’s game at the Bogota Savings Bank Center saw FDU improve to 25-4 overall behind 14 points from Madlena Gerke and 10 from Ava Renninger added 10.

Points of Emphasis

Tempo-free: Entering the contest, Le Moyne had an average 90 offensive efficiency. In a 62-possession game, FDU held a 107-62 edge in offensive efficiency.

For the season, FDU allows an 80 efficiency on the defensive end. That is good for 12th-best nationally. The leader is UConn, with a defensive efficiency of 69.

Defense and no easy shots: “Look at that score,” Gaitley said. “We did not shoot the ball particularly well, we played really good defense. We just did a great job on defense and rebounding. Those are two things you need when you get ready to play for a championship.”

FDU limited Le Moyne to 29 percent shooting, including just 5-of-20 from long distance. The Knights also forced 18 turnovers, converting them into 19 points. It seemed that virtually every shot was contested. A scarce amount of open looks were available.

There is no metric to account for uncontested shots against a defense. If there were, FDU would be among the elite in that category as well.

Le Moyne came in with a five-game winning streak and momentum.

“Nick (DiPillo)’s done a great job,” Gaitley said of the Dolphins’ head coach. “They’re solid and very sound. (Ashley) Buragas is tough inside. I just thought we were on our game defensively.”

Gerke, the game’s leading scorer and graduate guard who last played at Evansville, scored eight of her 14 points over the final five minutes of the first half. At that point, Le Moyne was on a run that cut the FDU lead to 16-14. Gerke’s contribution helped the Knights go on a 12-3 spurt, resulting in a 28-17 halftime lead.

“She’s just a wholesome kid,” Gaitley said of Gerke. “I’m so happy for her. This is her time to shine. This is her last year, and for her to be playing like this on a really good team and being a major part of it is icing on the cake for her career.”

On the night, Gerke hit four of FDU’s seven three-pointers. The senior averages 11.7 points per game, hitting at a 35 percent rate from downtown. Her value goes beyond scoring, as she’s second on the team with 59 assists and the leader with 40 steals.

Inside play: Since the onset of NEC play just after the new year, FDU’s inside duo of freshman Leah Crosby and junior Rebecca Osei-Owusu has played with increased confidence and poise. They have both made FDU formidable, says Gaitley.

“It’s a reason we continue to get stronger,” she said of the efforts on the interior.

On the night, Osei-Owusu scored nine points while Crosby added eight. The Knights dominated the boards by a 48-22 count with 22 on the offensive end. Osei-Owusu (5) and Crosby (3) combined for eight of those offensive rebounds.

Notes: This was a record breaking 35th consecutive regular-season conference win by FDU. The Knights’ last setback was on February 24, 2024, ironically against Le Moyne.

FDU shot 37 percent from the floor and 7-of-30 from three. Offsetting the cold shooting was the fact that FDU was guilty of only nine turnovers.

Renninger scored all of her points in the second half. The sophomore guard also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

At the conclusion of the third period, Le Moyne coach Nick DiPillo was assessed two technical fouls and ejected from the contest. Casey Filiault ran the team in the final period. DiPillo was not asked, nor did he offer any insight regarding the ejection after the game, but did comment on how pleased he is to see his young team playing as of late.

“I’m sure we will be back here again,” he said, hinting at a possible NEC tournament rematch.

FDU hosts LIU on Saturday for senior day. Le Moyne hosts New Haven on the same day.