RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Felician women's basketball hosted their senior night celebration Wednesday evening when they capped off their regular season schedule versus Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opponents, Dominican (N.Y.) University, in JJJ Gymnasium. Aisha Traore (Bronx, N.Y.) and Uzor Uchidiuno (Toronto, Canada) were the senior duo that were highlighted prior to tip-off.

The Golden Falcons would almost end the first quarter scoreless as they didn't record their first point until 3:58 remaining in the opening minutes. From there, the Golden Falcons gained the lead and ultimately maintained it - with a few score changes of course - to secure the 71-67 victory over the Chargers. 

Here's What Happened:

• Katie Ritchie (Mentone, Victoria, Australia) shattered the ice from behind the arc for Felician and ignited an 11-0 run to close out the first quarter, 11-9. By the second, both teams battled for the advantage and it stayed with the Golden Falcons when Ane Valle (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain), Deviney Jackson (Long Island City, N.Y.) and Ritchie recorded points, entering the half leading 28-25. 
• The green-and-gold would feature a seven point lead, 32-25, to start the second half, but the Chargers battled back to hold the squad to only two more points and equalized the score at 34. 
• Later on, the opposers would snag the lead with under 30-seconds remaining in the third and put Felician down by four, 42-46. 
• In the final stanza, the Golden Falcons held their largest lead of the night at 11 thanks to a Mar Vidal (Tona, Spain) freebee, 63-52. But don't count the Chargers out yet... with less than a minute left on the clock, Felician turnovers allowed the visiting squad to swoop in and trail the hosts by one, 65-64.
• As Dominican entered the force foul situation to halt any time from being dwindled down, the Goldnen Falcons went a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe to seal the 71-67 senior night victory.

Box Score Insights:

• Traore ended the night with a double-double of 10-points and 13 rebounds while Uchidiuno had eight points, nine rebounds, and one block. 
• Valle led all Golden Falcon scorers with 17 points and nine rebounds, Ritchie had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Vidal had 12 points and four assists. 
• Felician shot 38% (26-68) from the field and 44% (4-9) from the long range and forced 12 Charger turnovers for 10 converted points. 
• Tonight's victory is the first time the Golden Falcons defeated the Chargers since Dec. 4, 2021 when the green-and-gold won on the road, 77-75. 

The Golden Falcons capped off their 2023-24 regular season schedule with a 11-14 overall and 11-5 CACC record and is currently waiting for their official seeding in the CACC Women's Basketball postseason. It is official that a quarterfinal in JJJ Gymnasium is happening on March 5th, however, their placement has yet to be confirmed. Stay Tuned and follow the Felician Instagram (@Felician_Athletics) for when those details will be released.