Fairleigh Dickinson Knights women's basketball
{{Short description|American collegiate basketball team}}
{{Infobox college basketball team
|women=yes
|name = Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
women's basketball
|current = 2024–25 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights women's basketball team
|logo = Fdu navy wmark 2023.png
|logo_size = 120
|university = Fairleigh Dickinson University
|conference = Northeast Conference
|location = Hackensack, New Jersey
|coach = Stephanie Gaitley
|tenure = 2nd
|arena = Bogota Savings Bank Center
|capacity = 1,852
|nickname = Knights
|studentsection =
|h_pattern_b = _thinsidesonwhite
|h_body = 003F87
|h_shorts = 003F87
|h_pattern_s=_thinsidesonwhite
|a_pattern_b=_thinsidesonblue_2
|a_body= 003F87
|a_shorts=003F87
|NCAAchampion2 =
|NCAAchampion =
|NCAAfinalfour =
|NCAAeliteeight =
|NCAAsweetsixteen =
|NCAAtourneys = 2025
|conference_tournament = 1990, 1992, 2025
|conference_season = 1993, 2022, 2023, 2025
}}
The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights women's basketball team represents Fairleigh Dickinson University in women's college basketball.{{cite web|url=http://fduknights.com/index.aspx?path=wbball |title=The Official Site of Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights Athletics |publisher=Fduknights.com |accessdate=June 3, 2016}} Their colors are burgundy, white, and blue. This mid-major team competes in the Northeast Conference. The Knights host opponents in the Bogota Savings Bank Center, which can seat up to 6,000,{{cite web |url=http://view2.fdu.edu/metropolitan-campus/photo-tour/rothman-center/ |title=Rothman Center - Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) |publisher=View2.fdu.edu |accessdate=June 3, 2016}} in Hackensack, New Jersey.
History
The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights women's basketball team joined the Northeast Conference of Division I, in their 1988–89 season. Fairleigh Dickinson started play for women's basketball in 1988 with Sharon Beverly as head coach. They won the Northeast Tournament in 1990 and 1992 but as the NEC did not receive an auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament until 1994. After winning a share of the regular season title in the 1992-93 season, the Knights regressed dramatically in the next couple of years, finishing below .500 for the next eight seasons. The Knights did not finish better than 3rd place in the NEC until the 2021-22 season, when they won the regular season championship with a 15-3 record in conference play.{{cite web |url=http://fduknights.com/documents/2015/8/10/WBB_Record_Book17.pdf|title = Record Book |accessdate = 2015-12-28|website = www.fduknights.com|last = Fairleigh Dickinson Knights}} They failed to win the NEC Tournament that year after being upset by Bryant in the Semifinals. Despite this, the Knights were invited to their first postseason tournament with the WNIT. They repeated as regular season champion the following year with a 16-3 record but lost 72-60 to Sacred Heart in the NEC Tournament Final. This was the last game for Angelika Szumilo as coach, as she left to coach Iona.
Stephanie Gaitley was hired to coach in 2023. They went 14-17 in her first season and lost in the NEC Semifinals before the team excelled in her second season, which saw them go 16-0 in NEC play while winning the most games for a season in school history with 27. In the 2025 Northeast Conference women's basketball tournament, due to the conference rules about reclassifying teams making the tournament final, the winner between Chicago State and Dickinson would win the NEC auto bid by default (in the semifinal matchup of reclassifying teams, Stonehill defeated Le Moyne). Dickinson won by a score of 90–61 to clinch a bid into the 2025 NCAA Tournament, their first in school history. They then beat Stonehill 66–49 to win the NEC Tournament and extend their school record to 29 wins for a single season.
==Yearly records==
{{CBB Yearly Record Start|
|type=team
|conference=
|postseason=
|poll=no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|
|name=Sharon Beverly
|startyear=1988
|conference=no
|endyear=1999
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1988–89
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 13–14
| conference = 10–6
| confstanding = 5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 1989–90
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 17–13
| conference = 9–7
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason = NEC Tournament Champs
| championship = conference tournament
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1990–91
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 11–16
| conference = 8–8
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 1991–92
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 23–6
| conference = 13–3
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason = NEC Tournament Champs
| championship = conference tournament
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 1992–93
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 15–12
| conference = 14–4
| confstanding = T–1st
| postseason =
| championship = conference
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1993–94
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 3–24
| conference = 2–16
| confstanding = 10th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1994–95
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 6–21
| conference = 4–14
| confstanding = 9th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1995–96
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 12–15
| conference = 8–10
| confstanding = T–6th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1996–97
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 13–14
| conference = 9–9
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1997–98
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 6–21
| conference = 6–10
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1998–99
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 7–19
| conference = 6–14
| confstanding = 10th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Sharon Beverly
| overall = 126–175 (.419)
| confrecord = 89–101 (.468)
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|
|name=Sandy Gordon Gaglioti
|startyear=1988
|conference=no
|endyear=1999
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1999–2000
| name = Sandy Gordon Gaglioti
| overall = 11–17
| conference = 10–8
| confstanding = T–6th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2000–01
| name = Sandy Gordon Gaglioti
| overall = 11–17
| conference = 10–8
| confstanding = T–6th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2001–02
| name = Sandy Gordon Gaglioti
| overall = 14–14
| conference = 9–9
| confstanding = T–7th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2002–03
| name = Sandy Gordon Gaglioti
| overall = 7–20
| conference = 6–12
| confstanding = 10th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2003–04
| name = Sandy Gordon Gaglioti
| overall = 13–15
| conference = 10–8
| confstanding = 5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2004–05
| name = Sandy Gordon Gaglioti
| overall = 2–25
| conference = 1–17
| confstanding = 11th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2005–06
| name = Sandy Gordon Gaglioti
| overall = 10–18
| conference = 6–12
| confstanding = T–7th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2006–07
| name = Sandy Gordon Gaglioti
| overall = 11–18
| conference = 8–10
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Sandy Gordon Gaglioti
| overall = 79–144 (.354)
| confrecord = 60–84 (.417)
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|
|name=Peter Cinella
|startyear= 2007
|conference=no
|endyear=2019
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2008–09
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 13–17
| conference = 9–9
| confstanding = 5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2008–09
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 10–20
| conference = 9–9
| confstanding = T–6th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2009–10
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 9–20
| conference = 5–13
| confstanding = 11th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2010–11
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 14–16
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2011–12
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 13–18
| conference = 8–10
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2012–13
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 12–17
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = 9th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2013–14
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 3–26
| conference = 2–16
| confstanding = 10th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2014–15
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 10–20
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = 6th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2015–16
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 11–21
| conference = 8–10
| confstanding = 6th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2016–17
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 8–22
| conference = 6–12
| confstanding = T-7th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2017–18
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 15–15
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = T-7th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2018–19
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = 8–22
| conference = 5–13
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Peter Cinella
| overall = {{Winning percentage|126|234|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|80|136|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|
|name= Angelika Szumilo
|startyear= 2019
|conference=no
|endyear=present
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2019–20
| name = Angelika Szumilo
| overall = 12-17
| conference = 9-9
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2020–21
| name = Angelika Szumilo
| overall = 16-8
| conference = 12-6
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 2021–22
| name = Angelika Szumilo
| overall = 19-12
| conference = 15-3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = WNIT First Round
| championship = conference
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 2022–23
| name = Angelika Szumilo
| overall = 24–8
| conference = 16–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = WNIT First Round
| championship = conference
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Angelika Szumilo
| overall = {{Winning percentage|72|45|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|52|21|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|
|name= Stephanie Gaitley
|startyear= 2023
|conference=no
|endyear=present
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2023–24
| name = Stephanie Gaitley
| overall = 14-17
| conference = 11-5
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 2024–25
| name = Stephanie Gaitley
| overall = 27-3
| conference = 16-0
| confstanding = 1st
| championship = conference
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
| overall = {{Winning percentage|396|581|record=y}}
}}
Postseason results
=NCAA Division I=
The Knights have appeared in NCAA tournament once. They have a record of 0–1.
| class="wikitable"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Fairleigh Dickinson Knights|Year|Seed|Round|Opponent|Result}} | ||||
| align="center"
|2025 | #15 | First round | #2 TCU | L 51–73 |
=WNIT=
The Knights have appeared in the Women's National Invitation Tournament twice. They have a record of 0–2.
| class="wikitable"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Fairleigh Dickinson Knights|Year|Round|Opponent|Result}} | |||
| align="center"
|2022 | First Round | Seton Hall | L 45–67 |
| align="center"
|2023 | First Round | Columbia | L 53–69 |
References
{{Reflist|30em}}