Box Score PHILADELPHIA -- Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball senior captain
Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) hit a 3-point shot with 3.3 seconds remaining to lead the Knights to a 58-57 victory over the St. Joseph Hawks in the season opening game for both teams. With the win, FDU improves to 1-0 on the young season, while the Hawks start at 0-1 overall.
"To play in this building was special, to win is incredible," said second-year head coach
Greg Herenda. "I am so happy for Mustafaa and the entire team. We worked so hard for 40 minutes and when Staf put the final shot up, I think the Philadelphia basketball gods took over.
With 2:32 to play the Knights tied the game at 51-51 before the Hawks went on a 6-4 run bolstered by a pair of three point shots pushing the score to 57-55 and setting up Jones' dramatic shot for the victory. In a game that saw three tie scores and four lead changes, the Knights held their final lead of the game with 10:32 to play before Jones' game winning basket.
FDU saw its 28-25 halftime lead quickly evaporate as the Hawks come out of the break on a 9-0 run and led up through the 12:47 mark. In a game that never saw either team lead by more than six points, defense won out as the Knights, who only committed 7 turnovers, forced the Hawks into 16 turnovers.
"We were very fortunate tonight but we took care of the ball and came up with a ton of crucial 50/50 loose balls," continued Herenda. "We still have a lot of work to do but this team has a chance to be special. There is a great spirit to these guys."
In addition to Jones, who finished the night with 13 points, FDU was led by sophomore
Matt MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) and freshman
Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ), who rounded out the Knights scoring in double figures with 12 and 10, respectively.
The Knights will return to action on Monday night, Nov. 17, when they host FDU Madison in the team's home opener. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and NEC Front Row will carry a live video broadcast.
