WEST HAVEN, Conn. (Interstat) — Fairleigh Dickinson defeated New Haven 69-55 in a women’s NCAA basketball game Saturday at Charger Gymnasium. The Knights improved to 24-4 while the Chargers fell to 7-19. Leading 30-22 at halftime, Fairleigh Dickinson broke the game open with a 24-point third quarter. Kailee McDonald led all scorers with 21 points and added eight rebounds for the Knights. Teaira Kelley posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for New Haven. Fairleigh Dickinson’s offense was fueled by 13 made 3-pointers and a 16-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. An attendance of 604 saw the Knights sweep the season series after a January win.

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (Interstat) — The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, one of the Northeast Conference’s top teams, methodically dispatched the struggling New Haven Chargers 69-55 in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Saturday at Charger Gymnasium. The contest was defined by a decisive third-quarter surge from the Knights, who turned a modest eight-point halftime lead into a commanding 17-point advantage, effectively sealing the victory. Fairleigh Dickinson outscored New Haven 24-16 in the period, fueled by a relentless offensive efficiency that the Chargers could not match. Kailee McDonald, a 5-foot-9 guard from Lowell, Massachusetts, led all scorers with 21 points, including five three-pointers, to pace the Knights. Her backcourt partner, Ava Renninger of Yardley, Pennsylvania, orchestrated the offense with a remarkable 12 assists, consistently finding open shooters against the New Haven defense. Madlena Gerke, a guard from Riga, Latvia, added 19 points, connecting on five shots from beyond the arc. For New Haven, the effort was led by a pair of double-doubles. Teaira Kelley of Monroe, Georgia, posted 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Aniya McDonald-Perry contributed 11 points and seven rebounds. Jasmine McKay provided a spark off the bench with a team-high 14 points, but the Chargers’ offense sputtered for long stretches. The game began with Fairleigh Dickinson establishing an early perimeter presence. Gerke hit two three-pointers in the opening minutes, helping the Knights build a 13-10 lead after one quarter. The second quarter saw a similar pattern, with McDonald heating up. Her third three-pointer of the half, assisted by Renninger with just over four minutes remaining, pushed the Knights’ lead to 11 points. New Haven’s McKay answered with a three-pointer just before halftime to trim the deficit to 30-22, but the Chargers’ shooting struggles were evident, having made only eight field goals in the half. The most important part of the game unfolded immediately after halftime. Fairleigh Dickinson came out of the locker room with heightened intensity, opening the third quarter on a 13-2 run. The burst included a three-pointer from Renninger, a layup and a three-pointer from Leah Crosby of Plainfield, New Jersey, and another three from McDonald. This explosion stretched the lead to 43-24 and forced a New Haven timeout just three minutes into the period. New Haven never recovered. While the Chargers showed fight in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Knights 17-15 behind McKay’s eight points, the deficit was too large to overcome. Fairleigh Dickinson’s defense, which held New Haven to a 91.6 offensive rating on 60 possessions, consistently generated stops, and the Knights dominated the glass with 16 offensive rebounds leading to 13 second-chance points. The victory improved Fairleigh Dickinson’s record to 24-4 overall, solidifying its position atop the conference standings. The Knights shot 40% from the field and a blistering 41.9% from three-point range. New Haven fell to 7-19, despite shooting a slightly better percentage from the floor at 42.2%. The Knights’ superior ball movement, evidenced by a 111.7 offensive rating, and their ability to capitalize from long distance proved to be the decisive factors. The game was a rematch of a January 10 meeting, which Fairleigh Dickinson also won, 65-57. The Knights have now won 10 of their last 11 games. New Haven has lost three straight and seven of its last eight. Fairleigh Dickinson next hosts Le Moyne on Thursday. New Haven returns to action the same afternoon, hosting Wagner. Attendance at Charger Gymnasium was 604.

Preview: Fairleigh Dickinson Knights at New Haven Chargers WEST HAVEN, Conn. (Interstat) — A surging Fairleigh Dickinson women’s basketball team looks to continue its dominant season when it visits struggling New Haven in a Northeast Conference matchup Saturday at Charger Gymnasium. The Knights (23-4 overall) enter on an 11-game winning streak, most recently defeating Chicago State 66-52 on Thursday. They have won those games by an average margin of 19.5 points. Fairleigh Dickinson already handled New Haven once this season, earning a 65-57 home victory on Jan. 10. New Haven (7-18) seeks to halt a four-game skid, including a 62-58 loss at Stonehill on Thursday. The Chargers have struggled to close out games, with three of their last six losses coming by five points or fewer or in overtime. A key matchup will feature two of the conference’s top players. Fairleigh Dickinson is led by guard Madlena Gerke, who averages 17.4 points during the winning streak. She scored 18 points in Thursday’s win over Chicago State. For New Haven, forward Aniya McDonald-Perry provides a consistent interior presence, posting a double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds) in a narrow loss at Chicago State on Feb. 7. The Knights boast the conference’s top defense, allowing just 52.7 points per game during their streak. They will test a New Haven offense averaging only 60.2 points. The Chargers will need efficient production beyond McDonald-Perry, potentially from guards Addisen Sulikowski and Lindsay Hogan, who combined for 31 points in the last outing. Fairleigh Dickinson’s depth has been a strength, with contributors like Ava Renninger and Akeelah Lafleur providing key support. New Haven must limit turnovers and find early offensive rhythm to avoid playing from behind against a disciplined Knights squad. The game tips off at 2 p.m. EST. Fairleigh Dickinson visits Le Moyne next Thursday, while New Haven hosts Wagner the same night.