Box Score

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team is off to its first 4-2 Northeast Conference start in seven seasons after handling Central Connecticut, 86-73, on Saturday at Stratis Arena. With the victory, the Knights surpass last year's win total and improve to 8-12 (4-2 NEC) on the season, while the Blue Devils fall to 5-14 (1-5 NEC) overall.

The visitors led 3-0 after their first possession of the game, but it was all FDU after that. Leading 11-9, the Knights constructed a 24-3 run over a 6:56 stretch, which was capped by a dunk from graduate student Scooter Gillette (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti), to give FDU a 35-12 lead at the 9:16 mark of the first half.

CCSU would fight back and cut the lead to 12 after a 16-7 spurt, but the Knights would still go into halftime leading 45-30.

FDU connected on 10 of its first 11 field goal attempts en route to shooting 52.9 percent (18-of-34) over the first 20 minutes. The Knights held the Blue Devils to 40.7 percent and led the battle on the glass, 23-12, which included nine offensive rebounds resulting in a 9-1 advantage in second-chance points. FDU also knocked down five from long distance compared to CCSU's one.

The Knights were never threatened in the second half. The Blue Devils trimmed the deficit to 10 at 69-59 with 7:11 remaining, but FDU responded with 10 unanswered points for a comfortable 79-59 lead with 3:54 to go.

The Knights shot even better in the final 20 minutes from the field (53.8 percent) to finish the game at 53.3 percent (32-of-60), including 9-of-22 from three-point range. CCSU also shot over 50 percent in the second half to end up at 46.6 percent (27-of-58) but only made 3-of-13 from behind the arc.

FDU also won the rebounding battle for only the second time this season (35-28). The Knights also dished out 17 assists and recorded 10 more steals to give them 22 over their last two contests.

For the second game in a row, FDU was led by a balanced attack in the scoring column, as five players achieved double-figures. Senior Mathias Seilund (Dragoer, Denmark/Falkonergaardens Gymnasium) led the way with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and corralled a career-high nine rebounds while tying a career best in blocks with three.

"We were extremely solid all day long, but the day really belonged to Mathias (Seilund) and his family." Head Coach Greg Herenda said. "I am so happy for Mathias. He is such a great young man and an unsung hero for FDU basketball. Today was his birthday, and he gave his parents, our team and our fans a great present himself."

Gillette added 13 points (5-of-6 FG) and seven rebounds. Sophomore Kyle Pearson (Woodbridge, N.J./Woodbridge) came off the bench and scored a season-high 12 points (6-of-7 FG) for the second straight contest, while senior Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, S.C./Burke) collected a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 assists to go along with a career-best five steals. Freshman Matt MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) knocked down 3-of-6 three-pointers en route to scoring 11 points and tying a career high in rebounds with six.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but we are getting better every day," Herenda said. "This team is special."

The Blue Devils' Faronte Drakeford led all scorers with 20 points, while Matt Mobley added 15. Malcolm McMillan and Brandon Peel chipped in 14 and 10 points, respectively.

The third-place Knights will return to action on Thursday, Jan. 30 when they start a four-game conference road swing with Mount St. Mary's for a 7 p.m. contest. FDU defeated the Mount, 85-79, in its NEC opener at Stratis Arena on Jan. 9.