MADISON, N.J.- For the first twenty minutes, the plan worked perfectly. Playing in a conference championship for the first time in program history, Eastern University Women's Basketball (22-5) built a 38-27 half-time advantage over the host FDU-Florham Devils (26-1). In the second half, however, the two-time defending Freedom Conference Champion Devils closed the gap quickly and pulled away for a 76-66 win.
Since falling at FDU in January, Eastern had won twelve games in a row. The Devils suffered their only loss in the last 59 games at Eastern on Feb. 7 Both teams were primed for a rematch and jumped out of the gates quickly.
The Eagles grabbed an 8-7 lead on on an inside basket from Meghan Nowak and then stretched the lead to 13-7 on five straight points from Gina DiDomenico. DiDomenico, Eastern's career leader in 3-pointers, connected on three long-range attempts and scored 15 first-half points to lead all scorers at the break.
Through the opening half, the Eagles were efficient in the half court and were able to score in transition at opportune times. The Devils made just 11-of-39 field goal attempts and were unable to take advantage of several second-chance opportunities with Nowak and Emily Lavin in the game protecting the rim. Led by DiDomenico's 4-of-5 shooting, the Eagles made 15-of-26 shots in the half. Eastern stretched a six-point edge to 11 with the final five points of the half on a long 3-pointer from DiDomenico and a short jumper from Lavin. Both teams had nine second-chance points before intermission.
The host Devils showed their experience with a quick burst to open the second half. Championship Most Outstanding Player Kyra Dayon scored a long 3-pointer after a pair of offensive rebounds to spark a 12-3 run in the opening four minutes of the half. It seemed that Taylor Price had stopped the FDU run with a strong drive and finish, but the first-year standout was whistled for an offensive foul and the basket was disallowed.
The Eagles made it through the first half without any foul trouble, but they picked up five fouls in the opening four minutes of the second half. Nowak was forced to the bench with her third foul, and the Eagles' struggles on the glass were compounded. FDU-Florham finished the game with 24 offensive rebounds.
Eastern held the lead until Leigh-Ann Lively split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 45-45 with 11:17 to play. The Devils rode the momentum in front of a lively home crowd and scored the next six points to grab control of the game at the midway point of the half.
From that point forward, the Devils had an answer for every Eastern surge. Price, the Freedom Conference Co-Rookie of the Year, led the Eagles with 18 points on 5-of-6 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the line. Nowak finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Kyra Dayon scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Devils.
After shooting 57 percent from the floor in the first half, the Eagles made only 7-of-24 shots after the intermission. Even so, the Eagles shot a better percentage from the floor than the Devils for the game.
As Conference Champions, the Devils claim the Freedom Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles, on the other hand, have their NCAA tournament hopes in the hands of the National Committee. With a 22-5 record and three wins over nationally-ranked opponents, including a 78-77 overtime win over FDU early in the month, the Eagles will definitely be under consideration, but they will be watching scoreboards the rest of the weekend. The Division III Tournament field will be announced on Monday afternoon.
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