HACKENSACK, N.J. – A tip-in at the buzzer by junior Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, S.C./Burke) led the Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team to an 82-80 victory over Lafayette College on Friday night at Stratis Arena. The Knights improve to 4-4 on the year with a win in their home opener, while the Leopards drop to 3-8 on the year with the loss.

The Knights held the advantage through the majority of the game but were challenged by Lafayette in the final minutes.  The Leopards tied the game at 80 with 20 seconds to play on a layup by Dan Trist.  FDU used its final possession to set up senior Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) with a drive to the basket.  Robinson's shot was blocked by Alan Flannigan, which gave the Knights the ball under their own basket with 3.4 ticks on the clock.

The inbounds pass found Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison), who dished it out to Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) in three-point range.  Jones' shot hit the rim and began to fall into chaos under the basket.  Sanders, a 5'11 guard, got one hand on the rebound and put the game-winning shot up as time expired to give the Knights the win.

“Sidney Sanders made an incredible athletic play to win the game for us,” Head Coach Greg Vetrone said.  “I am so elated about the way this team is playing right now.”

“This was a great team effort, a great first home game,” Vetrone said.  “The consistency between Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac), Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) and Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) is incredible.  These guys are really staying together.”

Jones led the Knights with a career-high 18 points on the night.  He went 6-for-9 from three-point range, including 4-of-5 in the first half.  Robinson, Bolding and Rochford also added double-digit points for FDU.  Robinson scored 17, while Bolding and Rochford added 15 and 10, respectively.  Rochford also recorded his third double-double of the season with 10 rebounds.

Consecutive three-pointers to open the game by Jones and Robinson set the Knights up for a stellar first half from three-point range.  FDU took an 11-2 lead in the first two minutes of play, capped off by a Robinson dunk.

The Leopards challenged FDU and brought the score within one, 13-12, six minutes into play on a series of turnovers.  The Knights responded and continued to hold the momentum by going 5-for-5 from three-point range in the first 10 minutes of the half. 

With 12 first-half points from Jones, combined with nine from Bolding and 80 percent shooting from three-point range, the Knights held the advantage at halftime, 44-35.

FDU shot 66.7 percent from the floor and held Lafayette to 41.9 percent over the first 20 minutes of play.

The Knights maintained the advantage through the second half but held the lead in single digits.  Midway through the half the Leopards cut the deficit to two points, 65-63, on a three-point shot by Joey Ptasinski.

Robinson responded with a three to increase the lead, but Lafayette was not finished attacking.

After trailing by nine with four minutes to play, the Leopards scored seven-unanswered points and were within two at 77-75 with 44 seconds to play.

A three-point shot by team-leader Seth Hinrichs brought Lafayette to within one at 79-78 with 35 seconds left.

The layup by Trist tied the game with 20 seconds on the clock before Sanders tipped in the game winner on the Knights' final possession.

Overall, the Knights shot 51.9 percent from the floor, with a 64.7 three-point shooting percentage (11-for-17).  The Leopards shot 44.4 percent but made just 38.1 percent of shots from distance.

The Leopards outrebounded FDU, 33-31, and turned the ball over eight times compared to the Knights' 14.  Hinrichs led Lafayette with 27 points, while Trist added 17.

The fourth win of the year passes FDU's win total from the 2011-12 season. 

The Knights will take one day off before hosting Hartford at Stratis Arena on Sunday, Dec. 9.  Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m.