The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team couldn't overcome a high-scoring first half by host Quinnipiac on Thursday evening, falling to the Bobcats, 78-62. The Knights fall to 7-20 on the season, with a 6-10 mark in Northeast Conference action, while Quinnipiac improves to 12-14 overall, with an 8-7 record in league play.
FDU was able to out-score Quinnipiac by one in the final 20 minutes, but couldn't overcome a 44-27 first half deficit. Cameron Tyler (Jamaica, NY/Notre Dame Prep (MA)) led the Knights with 17 points, while John Galvin (Weston, CT/Weston) recorded his second double-double in three games as he added 13 points and matched his career-high of 13 rebounds. Galvin also swatted three shots and Sean Baptiste (North Brunswick, NJ/St. Josephs of Metuchen) chipped in 11 points.
The Knights broke a 6-6 tie when Alvin Mofunanya (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow), who finished with eight points, connected on a jumper, but Quinnipiac went on to score the next eight points for a 14-8 lead six minutes into the game.
Terence Grier (Cranford, NJ/St. Thomas More Prep), who finished the game with eight points, broke a three-minute scoring draught for the Knights with a lay-in off an inbounds pass. Tyler sank two from the line before netting a jumper to make it a one-point game, 19-18, with 9:24 on the clock.
The two teams traded baskets until the Bobcats staged a 9-0 run, capped by six-straight points from Justin Rutty, to take a 32-22 lead.
Baptiste connected on a lay-up to make it 32-24, but Quinnipiac out-scored the Knights 10-2 over the next four minutes for a 42-26 lead.
Quinnipiac took a 44-27 lead into the break after Eric Coggins' bucket at the buzzer. After shooting 44 percent in the first 12 minutes of the half, the Knights finished the half with a.321 shooting percentage, connecting on only nine first half field goals. FDU was out-scored in the paint (22-8), in points off turnovers (19-6) and on the glass, 25-18. Jeremy Baker led all scorers through the first 20 minutes with 13 points. Baptiste led the Knights with 11 points, while Galvin pulled down six boards.
The Bobcats reeled off the first six points of the second half, going on a 9-4 run to start the frame and stake claim to a 50-27 edge and Grier was able to score back-to-back baskets to make it 53-33.
Fairleigh Dickinson went on a 15-4 run, with eight points coming from Galvin, to cut the Quinnipiac lead down to 70-55 with 5:16 remaining in the game. That was as close as the Knights would get as QU pulled out the 78-62 win.
The Knights finished the game shooting 38 percent, while the Bobcats shot 44 percent. QU held a 44-38 edge on the boards.
“The first 10 minutes of the game I thought that we played okay,” said Head Coach Tom Green. “Twice with Quinnipiac having a one-point lead, we had the ball, but we turned it over both times. Then Baker hit the three and from that point, the dam broke. The last four or five minutes of the first half were not what I expected out of FDU basketball.”
“ They had 19 more shots than we did, nine more offensive rebounds and we had five more turnovers. From that stat line, you can understand how we were on the losing end. The conference race to make the tournament really has tightened up.”
The Knights will participate in the ESNPU Bracketbuster on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Central Michigan at 2:00 p.m.
