Box Score HACKENSACK, N.J. – Sophomore
Matt MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) scored a career-high 29 points and the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team defeated Princeton, 89-85, in a thriller on Wednesday evening at Stratis Arena. With the win, their first against the Tigers, the Knights improve to 3-3 on the season, while the visitors fall to 2-6 overall.
"That was a historic night for Fairleigh Dickinson University." Head Coach
Greg Herenda said postgame, "I am so proud of our team and how hard and tough they played, especially in the second half.
Matt MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) and
Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) earned their wings as captains tonight – they truly led the way."
MacDonald got his 29 points on a very efficient 8-of-12 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from long range, and 10-of-11 makes from the charity stripe over a game-high 38 minutes. The guard also tied a career-high with eight rebounds.
In what was a very even contest throughout, Princeton finished the first half on a 9-2 run and went into the break up 33-25. The Tigers would eventually push their lead to its highest – 11 – and maintained at least a six point lead for the first 10 minutes of the second stanza.
Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) ended the visitors' stretch of holding the lead, a span of 26 minutes, with a contested three-pointer to knot it up at 55-55 with 7:27 left to play. MacDonald sank two freebies less than a minute later and the hosts would never relinquish their lead.
The Knights pushed their own lead up to 11 in just three minutes, thanks to a flurry of offense from Jones, MacDonald, and Earl Potts, Jr. and FDU held on from there despite losing
Darius Stokes (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar) and
Xavier Harris (Philadelphia, Pa./Constitution) due to fouling out late.
The drama didn't stop as the Tigers pushed hard for a comeback. With 15 seconds to go, sophomore guard Khyan Rayner hit a wild banked three-pointer and was fouled on the play to cut it to two. Rayner intentionally missed his free throw but Jones came up with the huge rebound.
Both teams shot over 50% from the field and over 45% from long range.
Princeton won the battle of the boards, 32-29, but the Knights enjoyed a 9-2 advantage in steals which garnered 15 points off turnovers.
Jones finished with 22 points (4-of-11 FG), four rebounds, and three assists in 30 minutes.
Freshmen
Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ) and Potts, Jr. scored 17 and 11 points, respectively. For the latter, all of his career-high points came in the second half on perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the floor.
Five Princeton players ended in double figures, including reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year Spencer Weisz with a team-high 18 points and junior forward Hans Brase double-doubling with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
"I have no words. FDU just beat Princeton. That's history. Our guys played so, so hard and deserve everything they got." Herenda said, "Our crowd was amazing tonight. I cannot thank our student body enough – that was fun."
The Knights head to South Bend, Ind. to battle Notre Dame on Saturday evening. Tipoff from the Joyce Center is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3.
