CHICAGO (Interstat) — Fairleigh Dickinson used a dominant third quarter to rout Chicago State 91-64 in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Thursday night at Jones Convocation Center. The Knights, now 12-4, broke open a close game by outscoring the Cougars 38-15 in the third period. Fairleigh Dickinson shot 56 percent from the floor overall and scored 54 points in the paint. Ava Renninger led the Knights with 15 points and five assists. Rebecca Osei-Owusu added 14 points. Chicago State, which fell to 1-15, was led by Keona McGee’s 10 points. The Cougars shot just 6 for 13 from the free-throw line. An announced crowd of 79 attended the nonconference game.

CHICAGO (Interstat) — A dominant third-quarter eruption propelled the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights to a decisive 91-64 victory over the Chicago State Cougars in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Thursday night at a sparsely attended Jones Convocation Center. The game’s defining stretch came immediately after halftime. Leading by just three points, 37-34, the Knights unleashed a 38-point third quarter, overwhelming the Cougars with a relentless offensive assault. Fairleigh Dickinson shot a blistering 14 of 19 from the field in the period, turning a narrow contest into a commanding 75-49 lead entering the final frame. The Knights’ efficiency was staggering. They finished the game shooting 55.7 percent from the floor, amassing 54 points in the paint. Their offensive rating of 130.2 points per 100 possessions underscored a night of high-percentage execution, fueled by 14 offensive rebounds that led to repeated second-chance opportunities. Ava Renninger, a 5-foot-6 guard from Yardley, Pennsylvania, orchestrated the victory with a team-high 15 points and five assists in 36 minutes. She was one of five Knights to score in double figures, highlighting the team’s balanced attack. Rebecca Osei-Owusu of Brooklyn, New York, contributed 14 points and three assists, while Kailee McDonald of Lowell, Massachusetts, also scored 14. Bella Toomey of Philadelphia and Akeelah Lafleur of Willingboro, New Jersey, each added 11 points. Chicago State, which fell to 1-15 on the season, was led by Keona McGee of Milwaukee, who scored 10 points. Tania Allen of Chicago added nine points. The Cougars struggled from the free-throw line, making only 6 of 13 attempts, and managed just three assists as a team, compared to six for Fairleigh Dickinson. The first half was a back-and-forth affair. The Knights led 18-15 after one quarter, but Chicago State kept pace in the second, trailing by only three at the intermission. The Cougars even held a brief 8-5 lead early in the first quarter after a Natalia Williams three-pointer. Any hope of an upset was extinguished in the third quarter. Fairleigh Dickinson opened the period on a 14-2 run, with Renninger, Osei-Owusu, and McDonald consistently finding seams in the Chicago State defense. The Knights’ ball movement and interior scoring proved unstoppable, as they outscored the Cougars by 23 points in the quarter. The victory improved Fairleigh Dickinson’s record to 12-4. The Knights entered the game as overwhelming favorites, with statistical projections giving them a 96.4 percent probability to win, and they validated that expectation with their second-half performance. Fairleigh Dickinson will look to continue its momentum at home against New Haven on Saturday. Chicago State, still seeking its second win, will host Stonehill on the same day. The game was organized by the Northeast Conference. Attendance was announced as 79.

CHICAGO (Interstat) — A surging Fairleigh Dickinson women’s basketball team will look to extend its winning streak when it visits struggling Chicago State in a non-conference matchup Thursday at Jones Convocation Center. The Knights (11-4) enter on a three-game win streak, including a dominant 73-28 road victory at Saint Francis (PA) on Sunday. The Cougars (1-14) have lost 10 consecutive games, most recently a 51-60 defeat at Long Island on Jan. 4. Fairleigh Dickinson has been led by the consistent play of guard Kailee McDonald. Over her last six games, McDonald is averaging 13.3 points, including a 22-point performance against Ursinus and a 13-point, 6-rebound effort in the win over Saint Francis. She has logged 40 minutes twice in that span, underscoring her importance to the Knights’ rotation. Chicago State’s Tania Allen has shown flashes, posting 11 points, five rebounds and four assists against Long Island. However, her production has been variable, mirroring her team’s season-long challenges. The Cougars have not won since November and have faced a difficult schedule, including losses to power-conference foes Clemson and Arizona. The Knights’ defense has been a cornerstone of their success, holding opponents to 46 points or fewer in four of their last five wins. Chicago State has averaged just 55.9 points per game during its 10-game skid. This game is organized by the Northeast Conference. For Fairleigh Dickinson, it is the final tune-up before beginning NEC play at Wagner on Jan. 15. Chicago State opens its conference slate at home against Stonehill on Saturday. Tipoff is set for Thursday night in Chicago.