In Hackensack, New Jersey, Fairleigh Dickinson University’s women’s basketball team celebrated a historic victory, securing their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. The Knights triumphed over Chicago State with a resounding 90-61 win during the Northeastern Conference Tournament semifinals on Thursday night.
The automatic tournament spot was awarded to Fairleigh Dickinson because their prospective opponents, Stonehill and Le Moyne, are currently transitioning to Division I and thus ineligible for NCAA Tournament participation. In their semifinal match, Stonehill defeated Le Moyne 60-41.
“We all treated this game as if it were the final,” expressed FDU’s standout player, Teneisia Brown. “Winning was crucial to paving our path to the tournament. We’re thrilled, yet we know there’s another challenge awaiting us. We aim to secure victory and achieve our goals.”
When the final buzzer sounded, the Knights celebrated joyously with a group embrace in front of their bench, holding signs displaying “Ticket Punched” to mark the momentous occasion.
Coach Stephanie Gaitley, who has previously taken three different teams to the NCAA Tournament, refrained from explicitly discussing the stakes with her team. She recognized their awareness of the significant opportunity at hand, noting, “I wrestled with the decision. I didn’t want to add pressure. I knew they were focused on Chicago State.”
Fairleigh Dickinson and Stonehill will contend for the conference tournament title on Sunday. However, this match carries less significance regarding tournament qualification.
Gaitley anticipates another celebration on Sunday regardless of the outcome.
During their match against Chicago State, FDU swiftly gained momentum, launching the game with a 21-4 surge. The scoring spree was driven by Lilly Parke, Abaigeal Babore, and Brown, with Parke contributing nine points and Babore and Brown adding six each.
Brown concluded the night with 23 points, and Parke notched 21 points for FDU, marking their 21st consecutive victory. This season, their only defeats came against Syracuse, Rutgers, and UConn, with the latter game achieving historic significance for UConn’s coach Geno Auriemma.
Come Sunday, Fairleigh Dickinson is likely to be seeded 16th when the tournament bracket is announced. Historically, Sacred Heart is the only NEC team to win a game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, overcoming Southern in a 2023 play-in match.
Earning a 16 seed has historically been advantageous for the institution; the men’s team made headlines by defeating No. 1 seed Purdue in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. “Their success put us on the map, and we aspire to inspire as they did,” Babore remarked.
This phenomenon had occurred only once before in the men’s tournament. Harvard’s upset against Stanford remains the solitary example of a 16 seed prevailing in the women’s bracket.
The Knights previously clinched the conference tournament titles in 1990 and 1992 but only gained direct NCAA Tournament entry in 1994 after receiving an automatic bid.
For Chicago State, this season marked improvement, with six more wins compared to last year’s 1-26 record. A victory on Thursday would have positioned the Cougars in March Madness with the poorest historical record, surpassing Missouri’s 12-17 in 1994.
