Box Score

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team ended the regular season on Saturday with a 79-56 loss to St. Francis Brooklyn in Northeast Conference action at the Pope Physical Education Center. With the victory, the Terriers improve to 18-13 (9-7 NEC) on the season, while the Knights fall to 10-20 (6-10 NEC) overall.

"That was not the team I have coached all year," Head Coach Greg Herenda said. "Taking nothing away from St. Francis, they played very good basketball, but we struggled from the opening tip, and they took the game over early."

FDU will be the eighth seed in the NEC Tournament and will face top-seed Robert Morris in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 5 in Moon Township, Pa. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on NEC Front Row.

"Now everyone in the NEC Tournament is 0-0, and when you look at it, any team is capable of winning the championship." Herenda said. "It is an exciting time to be playing college basketball, and our guys will be ready."

St. Francis Brooklyn broke away from a 5-5 tie with 15 unanswered points, before going into halftime leading 35-11. The Knights shot 13.6 percent (3-of-22) from the field, including 1-of-10 from three-point range, and made only 4-of-11 from the free throw line over the first 20 minutes. The Terriers also outscored FDU, 13-2, on points off turnovers, despite both sides turning the ball over seven times in the first half.

The Knights used 10-0 run over a 57-second stretch in the second half to slice the deficit to 60-45 at the 6:26 mark, but it was the closest they would come.

FDU shot 51.7 percent from the field and made 13-of-15 at the charity stripe in the second half to finish the game at 35.3 percent (18-of-51) from the floor. But the Knights struggled from behind the arc, as they finished 3-for-19 from three-point range.

St. Francis Brooklyn shot almost 60 percent over the final 20 minutes to finish at 49.2 percent (29-of-59) for the contest, including 7-of-22 from long distance and 14-of-19 at the free throw line. The Terriers also won the battle on the glass, 43-27, and outscored FDU, 20-11, in points off turnovers, despite the Knights winning the turnover battle by two (10-12).

Freshman Matt MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) led FDU in scoring with 13 points, while sophomore Xavier Harris (Philadelphia, Pa./Constitution) came off the bench to score 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field and grab a team-best seven rebounds.

Ben Mockford of St. Francis Brooklyn led all scorers with 20 points after going 6-for-10 from three-point range. Jalen Cannon added 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Brent Jones added 11 points and a game-high 11 assists.