In a game that came down to the final second, Saint Francis defeated the Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team, 54-52, at DeGol Arena in Loretto, PA on Saturday evening.
Kamil Svrdlik (Prerov, Czech Republic/Gymnazium Zlin) led the Knights (4-14, 3-3 Northeast Conference) with 13 points, while Alvin Mofunanya (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow) had 12 points, all of which came in the second half. Terence Grier (Cranford, NJ/St. Thomas More Prep) added 10 points and Sean Baptiste (North Brunswick, NJ/St. Josephs of Metuchen) had eight. Svrdlik, who went 6-for-7 from the floor, was just shy of a double-double, leading the Knights on the boards with nine rebounds.
Despite the Red Flash (5-12, 3-3 NEC) starting off with a 6-1 run, the Knights scored back-to-back baskets to make it a one-point game and FDU took the lead, 11-10 on a shot by Baptiste from behind the arc.
Five of the Knights' first eight points came from Svrdlik as he had two field goals and a free throw.
FDU scored seven-straight as Baptiste sank two from the line, DeShawn Dockery (Chicago, IL/Worcester Academy) netted a three from the corner and Baptiste put in a jumper to give the Knights the 20-10 lead with 6:46 remaining in the first half.
But the Red Flash staged a 9-0 run to close out the half and make it a one-point game heading into the break, 20-19. Svrdlik and Baptiste led the Knights with seven points each, with Svrdlik going a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor and pulling down a team-high five rebounds.
The Knights held the edge despite shooting 35 percent from the floor, while the Red Flash shot 47 percent. Fairleigh Dickinson out-rebounded Saint Francis, 13-11, over the first 20 minutes.
The Red Flash out-scored FDU, 10-4, over the first three minutes of the second half, which had six ties and seven lead changes, to take a 29-24 lead. Scott drove into the lane and scored to cut SFPA's lead to three, 31-28, with 15 minutes remaining in the game.
Scott stole the ball and dished it out to Grier for a fast break lay-up that put the Knights within one and Scott lobbed the ball up to Mofunanya for a dunk to tie it at 32-32 with 13 and a half minutes left to play. FDU took the lead on a free throw from Grier.
FDU pushed it to a six-point advantage (43-37) on a pair of free throws from Mofunanya, but Sorena Orandi converted an old-fashioned three-point play to cut FDU's lead down to three.
With seven minutes left, Sweetney had a steal and a basket to give Saint Francis a 45-44 edge.
Mofunanya had eight-straight points for the Knights for a 49-46 lead with six minutes left, but the Red Flash came back to take the lead, 50-49, on a basket by Umar Shannon and two free throws from Cedric Latimer.
Scott pulled up for a jumper with a minute left to give FDU the 51-50 lead, but Orandi sank two free throws to give the one-point edge to Saint Francis.
In the final five seconds of the game, both Mofunanya and Svrdlik were called for their fifth fouls. With one second on the clock, Shannon was sent to the free throw line for two shots with the score tied at 52-52 and he made both to give Saint Francis the two-point win.
The Knights finished the game shooting 44 percent, while Saint Francis shot 53 percent. FDU dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Red Flash, 31-18, including a 14-3 margin in offensive rebounds.
"The last play is never how a game is decided," said Head Coach Greg Vetrone. "Saint Francis played harder. We couldn't get a stop when we needed it and they executed. I think that we lacked mental toughness and we didn't take advantage of opportunities."
Sweetney led the Red Flash with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Shannon added 11 points. The Knights held a 32-26 edge in the paint and a 13-4 advantage in second-chance points.
The Knights are back in action when they host Robert Morris on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
