Box Score
LORETTO, PA – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team fell to Saint Francis U by a final score of 68-63 on Saturday afternoon at DeGol Arena.  The Knights (7-14, 2-8 NEC) grabbed a late lead on a three-pointer by freshman Marques Townes (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph (Metuchen)), but the Red Flash (12-9, 6-4 NEC) answered with a three-pointer by Malik Harmon and the sealed the victory at the free throw line.

Townes' three-pointer gave the Knights a 59-58 lead with 3:30 left to play.  The New Jersey native followed with a layup on the ensuing possession to put FDU up 61-58 with just 2:44 left in the game.

Saint Francis answered by hitting a pair of free throws and then, after stopping FDU, connecting on a three-pointer to take a 64-61 lead.

Inbounding the ball with 46 seconds left to play, the Knights were able to get to the basket with senior Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) scoring on a layup, but FDU still trailed by a point, 64-63.

The Red Flash connected on their next four free throw attempts to go up 68-63 and then held on for the victory.

"I am just glad that January is over," head coach Greg Herenda said after the game.  "We came in here today and put ourselves in a position to win, but we just didn't get a break in those last two minutes of the game."

FDU started the second half by tying the game at 35-35 on the opening possession.  Freshman Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding ) knocked down a three-pointer from the wing off a pass from senior Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti).  The basket marked the first of eight ties or lead changes in a tight second half.

The Knights closed the first half with a 12-4 run over the final 3:45 of the period.  The run was fueled by seven points from freshman Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ) with senior Darius Stokes (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar), sophomore Scott Kingsley (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita of Cascia) and Townes also contributing points. 

Townes finished with a team-high 15 points on an impressive six-of-eight shooting performance.   He also grabbed six rebounds in the game.

Anderson finished with 14 points and posted team-highs with eight rebounds and six assists.  His eight rebounds are a career-high.  Jones also reached double-digits with 10 points.

"Our young guys are stepping up big time and Mustafaa just continues to play his heart out.  This continues to be a special group, even in defeat," Herenda added.

The Knights shot 40.7% (22-54) from the floor and 30.8% (8-26) from beyond the arc.  The Red Flash were 44.4% (20-45) from the field and 27.3% (6-22) from three.  SFU was 22-of-29 at the free throw line, while the Knights were just 11-of-16.

SFU's Earl Brown led all players with 18 points.  He also had a game-high 12 rebounds in 38 minutes of action.  As a team, SFU held a 35-30 edge on the glass.

FDU and Saint Francis will meet again on Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Stratis Arena in Hackensack, N.J.  The game will be broadcast live on MSG and Fox College Sports as part of the NEC's television package.