HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team fell to in-state rival Monmouth University, 80-76, on Sunday, Feb. 10. With the loss at Stratis Arena, the Knights fall to 7-18 on the season, with a 2-10 mark in Northeast Conference action, while the Hawks improve to 9-16 this year and move to 4-8 in conference play.

The Knights and Hawks battled for the advantage through the entire game, with each team never holding more than a seven-point lead.  The Hawks earned the win down the stretch by converting 12-of-14 free throws over the final five minutes of play. Overall, the Hawks sank a season-high 27-of-32 shots from the charity stripe.

Senior Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac) led the Knights' scoring output with 20 points on the day, while Sekou Harris (Plainfield, N.J./Plainfield High School) and Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Rochford led the Knights on the glass with nine rebounds.

The Hawks saw double-digit scoring from three players, including a game-high 28 points from senior Jesse Steele. Senior Ed Waite added 17 points for Monmouth and led all players with 11 rebounds.

After allowing the Hawks to win the tipoff and score the first bucket of the game, the Knights produced six consecutive points to take a 6-2 lead over the opening minutes of the contest.

The Knights maintained a slight lead through the first portion of the first half before an 8-3 streak, which included three-point shots by Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) and Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, S.C./Burke) extended their advantage to 22-15 with 8:30 remaining before the break.

The Hawks responded to the Knights' edge and challenged FDU through the remainder of the half. Monmouth converted on 5-of-5 free throws over the final five minutes of the half and used a five-point streak near the three-minute mark to mount a comeback. Four consecutive points pushed the Hawks ahead, as time wound down and gave Monmouth a 36-32 lead at halftime.

The Hawks held a slight edge on the floor in the first half with a 36.7 shooting percentage, while holding FDU to 34.5 percent. Monmouth also led FDU on the glass with a 25-14 advantage.

Both teams drew 12 fouls in the first stanza and sent the opponent to the charity stripe for 11 free shots.  The Hawks sank 10 of those free throws for a 90.9 shooting percentage, while FDU converted eight for a percentage of 72.7.

After trading baskets to open the second half, the Knights took hold of the momentum of the game on a Sanders Jr. steal three minutes after halftime. Sanders Jr. dished the ball to Bolding for a layup, who was fouled on the basket. Bolding sank the free throw to bring the Knights within two points. Sekou Harris (Plainfield, N.J./Plainfield High School) was fouled on the next Knights possession and sank two free throws to tie the game at 43 with 16 minutes left to play.

The Knights reclaimed the lead on a shot from beyond-the-arc by junior Mathias Seilund (Dragoer, Denmark/Falkonergaardens Gymnasium) one minute later. Two free throws by Bolding, coupled with consecutive three-point shots by Dylan Moody (Philadelphia, Pa./Abington Friends), gave the Knights their largest lead of the game, 51-47, with 12 minutes left on the clock.

The Hawks then used a 9-2 streak to cut the deficit and tie the game at 56 with seven minutes to play. 

Over the remaining minutes, the Knights made 6-of-13 shots from the floor and 6-of-9 free throws, while the Hawks went 4-for-6 from the field and 16-of-19 from the line to maintain a five-point advantage as the game entered the final minute.

The Knights challenged the Hawks and were within one point, 77-76, in the last 30 second of play, but could not capitalize on two free-throw attempts at the end of regulation.

The Hawks prowess from the free-throw line ultimately helped them to an 80-76 win in the team's final contest as Northeast Conference foes.

Overall, the Knights shot 34.8 percent from the field, while allowing Monmouth to connect on 41.4 percent of its shots. The Hawks also edged FDU on the glass, 45-38.

FDU held a 13-11 advantage in assists and forced 11 Monmouth turnovers, which accounted for 18 FDU points. The Knights recorded just nine miscues and tallied a season-high eight blocks. 

The Knights will continue Northeast Conference action when they host St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday, Feb. 14. Tipoff at Stratis Arena is slated for 7 p.m.