Women's Basketball Falls at Felician, 59-52

RUTHERFORD, N.J. – In the first contest of 2024, the University of Bridgeport's women's basketball team was defeated at Felician University on Wednesday night by a score of 59-52. The defeat marks the Purple Knights' first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) loss of the season as they now sit at 2-1 in the conference.

In a back-and-forth matchup throughout, it was a 12-2 stretch in the fourth quarter that ultimately proved to be the difference. The Purple Knights led 42-41 at the 8:36 mark before finding themselves down 53-44 with 4:22 remaining in the contest. After trailing by six at halftime, Bridgeport led 40-39 at the end of the third quarter.  

Individually, Bridgeport was led by a trio of double-figure scorers. Sophomore Niyah Whitten (Bloomfield, N.J. / Immaculate Conception) poured in a team-high 17 points while senior Shakira Hester (Bronx, N.Y. / Harry S. Truman) and junior Sade Young (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Summit Academy Charter) finished with 14 and 10 respectively. Whitten's performance featured a 4-for-5 clip from beyond the arc.   

Senior Stephanie McBride (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Bishop Loughlin) also put forth a solid stat line of 11 rebounds and three blocks, both of which marked team-highs. Additionally, she added four points and a pair of steals.

Defensively, the Purple Knights limited Felician to just 22-of-62 (35.5%) shooting from the field and 4-of-22 (18.2%) from long range. Bridgeport also finished with eight steals while causing 19 total turnovers.

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The Purple Knights will return to action when they host Chestnut Hill College on Jan. 13.