TEANECK, N.J. — It was a night of celebration as the returning players and the coaching staff from last season received their NEC championship rings. Then, there was business to take care of.
FDU got on track with a resounding 82-46 victory over East Stroudsburg. Monday’s win at Bogota Savings Bank Center, FDU’s first of the new season, put the Knights at 1-2. For the visiting Warriors, this was their season opener.
Points of Emphasis:
Texas: FDU began the season a week earlier, dropping a 87-66 contest at Baylor. Two days later, the Knights came out on the short end of an 85-65 decision at Texas. Despite the two setbacks, head coach Stephanie Gaitley was pleased with what transpired in the Lone Star State.
“I thought we did so many good things,” she said. “We were competitive, especially when you see some of the scores out there. We shot well and played good defense. We were concerned when we left with a lot of questions, and came back with a lot of answers. We played great defense, shared the ball and didn’t play scared.”
Defense: Actually, this can be filed under defensive consistency. Gaitley’s Knights started well on the defensive end, building a 19-8 lead after one period. The next ten minutes saw FDU fail to close out several times and the Warriors took advantage of the open looks. While FDU led, 38-24, at halftime, there were concerns on the defensive end. Following the break, the Knights held East Stroudsburg to three points. The visitors utilized 19 possessions during those ten minutes after the intermission, which resulted in a 19 offensive efficiency.
“Overall I was proud of the effort,” Gaitley said. “We have to make sure we don’t get sloppy on defense. We gave up 13 straight points (in the fourth period) after giving up 27 (points) for three.”
Specifically, the coach is looking to clean up ball screen defense and limit offensive rebounds. The Knights won the boards by a 47-26 count, but did allow 10 offensive rebounds.
Leah Crosby: FDU’s sophomore center led all in the scoring (17 points) and rebounding (10) categories. Crosby has the ability to move out to the perimeter. On this night, she utilized her height to post up, showing some nice drop step moves in thepaint.
“Leah did a great job inside,” Gaitley praised. “But this is what we as a staff know she is capable of.”
Crosby’s inside work helped FDU post a 42-20 edge in points in the paint.
Challenge: East Stroudsburg is predicted to winthe PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference). Regardless, it’s never easy for a Division II program to venture into a road game hosted by a Division I school with great success on its home floor.
“We were concerned with their physicality,” East Stroudsburg coach Liz Flooks said of FDU. “They are extremely physical and that’s something we talked about to our team. We battled a bit here and there, thought we had a lot more lows than highs, but we are still figuring it all out. I’m just proud of the way the kids battled tonight.”
The Warriors did not have a player in double figures scoring. Brie Droege led the way with nine points. Brooke Droege, Lacie Kringe and Jess Devine added eight each.
Notes: In a 68-possession contest, FDU held a 121-68 advantage in offensive efficiency, shooting 45 percent from the floor while limiting the Warriors to 32 percent.
How did this game come about?
“(FDU) called and asked us to play them, and I said, ‘why not?’” Flooks said.
Flooks has had several stops during her years in coaching. She was an assistant on Jessica Mannetti’s Sacred Heart staff when the Pioneers captured the 2023 NEC championship over FDU, then coached by present Iona mentor Angelika Szumilo at the Bogota Savings Bank Center. The East Stroudsburg coach has great respect for Gaitley, whom she’s known for a number of years.
“She’s a great coach and lady,” Flooks said. “If I can be half the coach she is, I will have a very successful career.”
Frank Gaitley noted that Texas coach Vic Schaefer told Stephanie Gaitley that Reese Downey and Ophir Weintraub were the best players on the floor for both teams last week.
“And he said it in the press conference too,” Frank added.
Downey scored a team-high 17 points against the Longhorns, while Weintraub scored four points and matched Madison Booker of Texas with five assists.
FDU hosts Manhattan on Thursday.
“Manhattan is a good team,” Gaitley said. “They are aggressive and we have to stay focused.”
East Stroudsburg faces Lincoln University at the Bowie State Tip-Off Classic on Friday.
Gaitley is still getting a number of players minutes. The objective is to find who can settle into the main rotation. Each year, she feels, it takes about ten games to sort out a rotation. This year is no different.
East Stroudsburg had 17 turnovers, resulting in a 23-6 advantage by the Knights in points off turnovers. FDU had 10 turnovers, but Gaitley was concerned because many were of their own doing as the Warriors had just three steals.
FDU’s Ane Valle had several of her Felician University teammates from last year in attendance to cheer her on. Valle was second to Crosby in FDU. scoring with 11 points on the night.
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