Box Score

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The eighth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team came up short in its upset attempt of top-seed Robert Morris, 60-53, in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament at the Sewall Center on Wednesday night. With the victory, the Colonials improve to 20-12 on the season, while the Knights conclude the season at 10-21.

Both sides played even over the first 20 minutes, with Robert Morris holding a two-point lead at the half, 26-24. But the difference came during a 4:10 stretch in the second half, which the saw the Colonials extend a 31-29 advantage up to 41-33 with 12:46 remaining.

After Robert Morris went back up eight at 48-40 at the 6:36 mark, the Knights had four opportunities to cut into the lead, as neither side scored until junior Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) made two free throws to make it 48-42 with 3:57 to go.

FDU still trailed by six with 2:04 left after a dunk from graduate student Scooter Gillette (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti), but the Colonials would score four straight points over the next minute for a comfortable 54-44 lead with 1:01 remaining.

The Knights sliced the deficit back to six with 32 ticks left, but it was the closest they would come, as Robert Morris escaped with the victory.

FDU struggled from the floor, shooting only 36.4 percent (20-of-55), including only 3-of-17 from three-point range. The Colonials shot 46.8 percent (22-of-47) and made 6-of-14 from behind the arc, which proved to be the difference.

"We played so hard and guarded so well, but we just could not get anything going offensively all night long," Head Coach Greg Herenda said. "The last time FDU was in this building we lost by 43 points; we've improved so much in one year."

The trio of Knights playing their final game in an FDU uniform combined to score 43 points and grab 18 rebounds. Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, S.C./Burke) led the way with 16 points and three steals, while Gillette added 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Mathias Seilund (Dragoer, Denmark/Falkonergaardens Gymnasium) chipped in 12 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for the first and only double-double of his collegiate career.

"We wanted to win so badly for our three seniors. What Mathias (Seilund), Scooter (Gillette) and Sid (Sanders Jr.) did this year was amazing. It was very appropriate that the only players to score in double figures were our graduating seniors," Herenda said.

Lucky Jones led Robert Morris with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Knights defense held NEC Player of the Year Karvel Anderson to zero points in 28 minutes of action.

"This is a season that our fans, our faithful alumns, and our University will remember for a long time - not for our record but for changing the face of the program," Herenda said. "I will be forever indebted to this group of guys."