The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team (1-2) lost 87-56 to Bowling Green State University, Saturday, Nov. 18 in the Championship game of the University of Central Florida Tournament in Orlando, FL. Freshman Christy Altamirano (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) (Bayonne, NJ) posted her third-consecutive double-digit scoring effort of the season, dropping in 11.
The Falcons (3-1) opened the scoring before FDU senior Gayle Coats (Richmond, VA/Gertrude) (Richmond, VA) banged a three-ball from the left wing to tie the game at 5-5. However, BGSU connected on all three of its first attempts from behind the arc, taking a 13-5 lead.
Freshman guard Jordan Sykes (Avalon, NJ/Holy Spirit) (Avalon, NJ) knocked down a trey from head-on, followed by a fade-away jumper by Altamirano from the right elbow, cutting the deficit to 15-10 with 15:24 remaining.
The Falcons ripped off a 15-3 surge spanning 4:48 to take a 30-11 lead at the 11:02 mark, boosted by eight points by forward Carin Horne (Lima, OH).
Sophomore forward Katie Warehime (Littlestown, PA/Littlestown) (Littlestown, PA) knocked down a 10-footer to end a 3:20 scoring drought, and hit another jumper on the ensuing possession. A trio of free throws by Sykes drew the Knights to 32-18 with 10:04 remaining.
Junior forward Nikki Lockhart (Rochester, NY/Nazareth Academy) (Rochester, NY) splashed home a spot-up from behind the arc with 4:20 left, creating a 40-26 contest. On Fairleigh Dickinson's next possession, Altamirano dialed in from long-range.
BGSU forward Megan Thorburn (Mason, MI) went 4-for-5 from downtown in the first-half, pacing the Falcons ? who drained seven trifectas ? with 12 points. Warehime sparked the Knights' offense with nine points.
Bowling Green shot 72.4 percent in the first-half ? scoring on 11 of their first 12 possessions ? en route to a 50-35 lead at the break.
Altamirano tallied FDU's first five points of the second-half, rolling off a pair of screens for a jumper at the top of the key and a three-pointer.
Junior guard Megan Kirkland (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) (Glen Allen, VA) popped a three-ball at the 13:29 mark, ending a 3:51 scoring drought, as the Knights trailed, 62-43. Warehime followed with a trey of her own slightly more than one minute later. The tandem combined for 17 points off the bench, notching 12 and five, respectively.
"We got some key contributions off the bench that gave us a lift," Head Coach Sandy Gordon said. "Katie really came in and gave us a lift on offense."
Junior forward Jennifer Walkling (Westminster, MD/Westminster) (Westminster, MD) stopped a 3:40 scoring drought with a hoop and the foul with 6:47 remaining ? and would ultimately score six-straight points for the Knights. She chipped-in a drop-step lay-in off the left block two possessions later, en route to registering eight points, nine rebounds and four steals.
Forward Ali Mann (Chelsea, MI) notched a game-high 16 points for BGSU, while Thorburn added 15.
"They're a very good team and they shot the lights out," Gordon said. "They start four seniors and a junior, so you can't take just one option away. We came down here with the goal of getting one win and we did that."
According to the Nov. 14 Associated Press Poll, the Falcons received 55 votes for the Top 25 ? third best by schools not ranked in the national 25 best. Bowling Green took down 15 votes in WBCA poll.
The Knights travel to Vestal, NY at 3:00 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 22 to take on Binghamton.
