Brown University
10-1
Fairleigh Dickinson
3-8
Women's Basketball Uses Second-Half Surge to Beat FDU, 63-48
12/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HACKENSACK, N.J. – Sophomore Janie White blocked a career-high nine shots to go with 14 points to lead four Bears in double figures as Brown University women's basketball beat Fairleigh Dickinson University, 63-48, on Tuesday afternoon at Stratis Arena.
The Bears (10-1) used a 16-0 run to start the second half to come back from a 25-22 halftime deficit against the host Knights (3-8). At 10-1, Brown holds its best record to start a season since going 11-1 in 1973-74 and has the fourth-most non-conference wins in program history. The team is 5-0 in the month of December.
White (Clarksville, Tenn.) notched a season high in scoring to go with six rebounds. Her nine blocks tied for second most in a single game in school history and tied for fifth most in the Ivy League record book. Last year against FDU, she corralled a career-high 18 boards.
Fellow sophomore forward Kennedy Martin (Los Angeles, Calif.) scored a season-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds.
Junior Rebecca Musgrove (Plainview, N.Y.) totaled 14 points, four rebounds, and three steals while senior Jordin Alexander (Fishers, Ind.) netted 10 points, her ninth game this year in double figures. Freshman Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) tied for the game high with eight rebounds.
Brown held its opponent under 50 points for the fourth time in 2015-16 and allowed the Knights to shoot just 28.1 percent (18-of-64) from the field.
The Bears used their 16-0 run to start the second half to turn a 25-22 halftime deficit into a 38-25 lead with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter. Martin posted five points – all off second-chance opportunities – during the run while Alexander hit a pair of mid-range jumpers. Musgrove and Steeves added four and three points apiece.
The hosts pulled within 40-32 before Musgrove knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Bears a 43-32 edge with 2:06 left in the third. Another Musgrove jumper helped the team bring a 45-36 lead into the fourth quarter. Brown outrebounded FDU, 14-7, in the frame and held the Knights to 3-of-13 shooting (23.1 percent).
FDU twice cut its margin to six points in the fourth quarter, but the Bears answered on each occasion with Martin making two free throws and Alexander converting a 17-foot jumper. Freshman Taylor Will (Arlington Heights, Ill.) and Musgrove nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to push Brown ahead 57-43 with 3:12 left, and the Bears held a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
The Bears claimed a 13-12 lead after the first quarter with White hitting a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in the frame. Brown took an 8-4 lead after baskets from Martin and Alexander and led 13-8 after White's triple.
White connected on her second 3-pointer of the game at the 6:16 mark of the second quarter to push Brown's edge to 20-14. FDU responded with an 11-2 run and netted the first half's final seven points to gain a 25-22 advantage at the break.
For FDU, Erika Livermore posted 13 points and six rebounds while Kelsey Cruz had 10 points. Jackie Jackson finished with eight points and eight boards.
Next, Brown plays at Saint Peter's tomorrow at 4 p.m. prior to completing its New Jersey swing at NJIT on Monday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m.
Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
