HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team was outlasted by Bryant University, 78-63, on Thursday, Jan. 31 at Stratis Arena. With the loss, the Knights fall to 7-15 on the year, with a 2-7 Northeast Conference mark. The Bulldogs maintain a first-place position in the conference, with a 7-2 NEC record, and move to 14-6 overall.

The Knights battled the top-ranked Bulldogs through the majority of the game and hung within one point, 42-41, with 12 minutes left to play in the game. Bryant pulled away with a double-digit lead midway through the second half and maintained the advantage with strong free-throw shooting down the stretch.

Led by junior Mathias Seilund (Dragoer, Denmark/Falkonergaardens Gymnasium)'s 16 points, the Knights had four double-digit scorers. Bryant's Alex Francis paced all players with 27 points and nine rebounds.

The Bulldogs won the tipoff and started the game strong to produce a 7-0 lead within the first two minutes of play. The Knights responded, and sparked by three consecutive three-pointers by Seilund, FDU took a 13-9 lead eight minutes into the game.

The Knights maintained a slight advantage on a three-point shot from senior Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac), but a shot from long range by Dyami Starks cut the Knights' momentum and gave Bryant a 23-20 edge with five minutes remaining in the first half.

After tying the game at 25 with 3:34 left to play, the teams battled for the lead, but six consecutive points by Bryant earned the Bulldogs a 34-29 lead at halftime.

The Knights held a slight shooting advantage in the first half with 41.7 percent of shots converted compared to the Bulldogs' 40 percent.  The Bulldogs had a strong hold on the glass with a 21-14 advantage in rebounds. FDU forced nine Bulldog turnovers in the first half, but produced 13 points on FDU's 10 miscues.

A strong drive to the basket by Sidney Sanders Jr., followed by a three-point shot by Bolding gave the Knights their first lead of the second half, 37-36, two minutes in, but the Bulldogs responded with a six-point streak to take a 42-37 lead with 13 minutes left on the clock.

Four quick points by junior Yves Jules (Brooklyn, N.Y./Canarsie) brought the score to 42-41 with 12 minutes left to play but it was the closest the Knights would come. A 14-4 Bulldog run increased the deficit to double-digits with nine minutes to play.

The Bulldogs maintained the advantage by shooting 5-for-6 from the field and making 7-of-10 free throws over the final seven minutes of the game.

The Knights saw baskets by Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison), Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach), Bolding and Seilund in the closing minutes but could not make a comeback and fell to Bryant, 78-63.

Overall, the Knights shot 45.3 percent from the field, while holding Bryant to 43.3 percent. The Knights also edged Bryant from three-point range, 34.8 to 30.4 percent. The Bulldogs sank 19-of-25 free throws throughout the contest and dominated FDU on the boards, 39-26.

Seilund paced FDU and tied a career high with 16 points on the night. Bolding added 14 for the Knights, while Rochford and Jules chipped in 12 and 10, respectively. Rochford led FDU's rebounding effort with six.

Francis led all players by scoring a career-high 27 and pulling down nine rebounds for Bryant. Corey Maynard, Dyami Starks and Shane McLaughlin also added double-digit points for the Bulldogs.

The Knights will continue Northeast Conference action when they take on Central Connecticut State on Saturday, Feb. 2. Tipoff at Stratis Arena is slated for 7 p.m.