BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team suffered a 70-51 loss to St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, Jan. 19 at the Pope Physical Education Center.  The Knights fall to 7-12 on the year, with a 2-4 Northeast Conference mark, while the Terriers improve to 8-9 with a 4-2 conference record.

The Terriers took an early lead that they never relinquished. The Knights shot 34.0 percent from the floor, compared to the Terriers 43.5 percent and were outrebounded, 47-33, on the day.

St. Francis started the game with two quick three-pointers to take a 6-0 lead early in the contest. The Knights responded with baskets of their own but a 6-0 spurt gave the Terriers a 13-4 advantage midway through the half.

A steal and fast-break layup by Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) cut the SFC momentum briefly, but the Terriers increased their lead to double-digits with eight minutes left to play in the half on two consecutive layups.

With three minutes left to play in the half, SFC extended its lead to 15 points, 34-19, on two made three-pointers. The Knights countered with six straight points of their own to cut the deficit to nine points in the final minutes of the half but could not stop a Terrier layup in the final second of play and trailed at the break, 36-25

The Terriers took hold of the game by controlling the backboard, especially while on offense. St. Francis outrebounded FDU, 26-16, through the first half, while pulling down 13 offensive rebounds compared to the Knights' three. The Terriers rebounding prowess enabled them to score 13 second-chance points in the first 20 minutes.

The Knights outshot St. Francis, 42.9 to 40.6 percent from the field but made none of their four three-point attempts. The Terriers connected on 4-of-8 shots from beyond-the-arc.

Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac) led the Knights' charge in the second half. The senior put up four points in the opening minutes, while the Knights forced three Terrier turnovers but FDU could not contain the Terrier offense. SFC increased its lead to 17 points five minutes into the second half with two three-pointers and maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game. 

Bolding and Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, S.C./Burke) were the top producers for FDU with 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Terriers saw three double-digit scorers, including sophomore Jalen Cannon who had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Overall, the Knights shot 34 percent from the field after converting just 28.1 percent of shots in the second half and made none of their 16 attempts from beyond-the-arc. The Terriers shot 43.5 percent, including 37.5 percent from three-point range. 

The Terriers' advantage on the glass proved to be crucial for the end result. SFC outrebounded FDU, 47-33, for a season-high, including a 19-11 advantage on offensive rebounds. The Terriers produced 24 second-chance points with their dominance on the boards. Senior Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) led the Knights with eight rebounds.

The Knights will continue Northeast Conference action on Thursday, Jan. 24 when they travel to West Long Branch, N.J. to take on in-state rival, Monmouth University. Tipoff at the Multipurpose Activity Center is slated for 7 p.m.