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Hamilton Township, NJ -- Both NEC Women’s Bowling finalists gave it their all, but only one could hoist the trophy.

Top-seeded FDU did just that, defeating second-seeded Duquesne, 2-1, in a dramatic showdown to win its record-tying sixth conference championship on Sunday and clinch the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

FDU's sixth title title tied them with Sacred Heart for the most in conference history.

It was a marathon mega match that came down to a five-frame roll-off in the best-of-seven series after the Knights and No. 2 Duquesne finished deadlocked at 204 in the seventh game. The Knights triumphed in the roll-off as veteran anchor bowler Allysha Howard once again came through in the clutch, closing the door with back-to-back strikes in the final frame to secure FDU’s 4.5-3.5 victory. A Duquesne win would have forced an additional best-of-seven tiebreaker match for the championship.

FDU staged an impressive comeback after Duquesne caught fire starting the third leg of the mega match, jumping out to a 2-0 lead, highlighted by an impressive 279 in game one. The Knights quickly struck back by winning the next two games to tie the series up. The two teams split the next two games to set up a decisive seventh game, that was anything but decisive.

In a back-and-forth traditional leg, it call came down to FDU’s final frame. After anchor bowler Howard scattered eight pins on her first roll, the Dukes and Knights were tied up at 1065. The senior needed to knock down just one more pin to earn the win and she did just that to give FDU a 1-0 lead in the mega match.

Despite Howard’s clutch performance, Duquesne caught fire late in the traditional leg and carried that momentum into the quint Baker leg. The Dukes led by at least 50 pins throughout all five games and capped off the final contest with eight strikes in a row to force the best-of-seven Baker series.

The Knights will represent the NEC in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, making their 15th appearance in program history. FDU won national championships in 2006 and 2010.

The NCAA field will be announced on Wednesday, March 26 at 4:00 pm on NCAA.com.

NCAA Regional competition will take place from April 3-5. The finals are set for April 11-12 at the Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas, NV.