The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team (1-5) wrapped up competition at the 2009 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic with a 75-54 loss to UC- Irvine (3-3) in Richmond, KY at McBrayer Arena.
Senior guard Sean Baptiste (North Brunswick, NJ/St. Josephs of Metuchen) led the Knights, scoring 19 points, all in the first half, and grabbing seven rebounds. Junior guard Mike Scott (Philadelphia, PA/Texas Christian) added 14 points, going 3-for-3 from three-point range. Junior guard Terence Grier (Cranford, NJ/St. Thomas More Prep) chipped in nine points. Senior forward Alvin Mofunanya (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow) swatted three shots.
The Anteaters took a 9-3 lead to start the game, but the Knights were able to cut the gap to one, 9-8, on a three from Baptiste.
Eight straight from Baptiste gave FDU the lead, 14-13, with 12 minutes remaining in the half. With less than 10 minutes to play, Baptiste connected on one from behind the arc to give the Knights a 21-18 edge.
There were three lead changes as the two teams traded baskets, until the Anteaters staged a 9-2 run to take a 33-26 lead.
Scott connected on a three to cut the lead, but UCI went into the half with a 39-35 advantage.
Baptiste led all scorers heading into the half, breaking out offensively for 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting and leading the squad on the boards with five rebounds. The Knights were out-rebounded in the first 20 minutes, 22-11. There were six lead changes in a half that saw the Knights shoot 48 percent and the Anteaters shot 47 percent.
UCI began the second half on a 9-0 run to widen the gap, grabbing hold of a 48-35 advantage. FDU rattled off five-straight points to whittle the lead back down to single digits.
Grier drove the basket for a layup to cut the Anteaters' edge to 50-42. After Eric Wise hit a jumper, the Knights scored six unanswered points, making it a 57-50 game.
But a 10-2 run by UC- Irvine stifled the Knights' momentum. The Anteaters scored the final seven points of the game to take the 75-54 win, capping a 17-4 to end the game.
Michael Hunter led UC- Irvine with 16 points, while Mike Wilder added 12 and Wise had 11.
The Knights are back in action at Houston Baptist on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Tipoff is at 7:35 p.m.
