South Bend, IN - -  The FDU men's basketball team fell to 3-4 on the year with a 75-57 loss to Notre Dame this evening in Purcell Pavilion on the South Bend Campus.  The victory pushes the Irish's record to 8-1 overall.

"We competed very hard the entire night against a very potent offensive team in Notrre Dame," said second year Knights head coach Greg Herenda.  "I am disappointed with the outcome but this game will pay huge dividends in March."

Despite holding the Irish to their second lowest scoring output this season, the Knights were not able to overcome a 10-point (32-22) halftime deficit.  Notre Dame, which entered the game averaging 84.5 point per game,  extended its second half lead to as many as 18 (51-33) with 12:24 to play before FDU started to slow chip away and cut the lead to 11 (60-49) with 6:43 remaining.  Notre Dame, the newest member of the ACC, then went on a 9-0 run spanning just over 3:00 to extend its lead to 20 (69-49) to stamp the victory.

"That was a tough one. They are hard to play against because they are so athletic defensively, moving around, match-up zone, defensive press, long possessions, ball screens and quick guards," said Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey.  "I think defense was the answer for us. We weren't in the best of offensive rhythms. I think you have to give Fairleigh Dickinson credit for that, but we defended well enough to not get bit tonight,"

FDU was led by senior captain Mustafaa Jones who scored a team-high 16 points in 35 minutes of action.  The Kights also received a breakout performance my freshman Marques Townes  who finished with 11 points in 20 minutes of play. 

Notre Dame had four players scoring in double figures led by Pat Connaughton who  finished the night with a game-high 19 points while Zach Auguste registered a double-double with 11 points and a game high 11 rebounds.

FDU will return to action on Wednesday, December 10 as the Knights head to Queens, NY to take on St. John's.  Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m.