Box Score

BRONX, N.Y. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team fell to Fordham, 85-62, on Saturday afternoon at the historic Rose Hill Gym.  The Knights (1-3) were led by 15 points from sophomore Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding ), while the Rams (2-1) used a balanced offensive attack that featured five players with double-digit points.

The Knights started slowly, but began to click offensively following the second media timeout of the first half.  The Rams hit a free throw coming out of the timeout, but FDU followed with seven straight points and eventually cut the Fordham lead to a single-point at 17-16.

The teams remained close over the ensuing minutes, but Fordham scored the final seven points of the first half.  The Rams held FDU scoreless over a three-minute and 27-second stretch to close the period.

"The way we turned the basketball over today was very uncharacteristic of our team," head coach Greg Herenda said afterwards.  "We just couldn't pass or dribble the ball and it put a great deal of pressure on our defense all game long."
 
"What I did like was how our second group came off the bench and contributed-especially Malik Miller (Troy, N.Y./Catholic Central ). He earned some minutes tonight."

Fordham expanded its lead after halftime and led by as many as 24 points late in the game.

Potts scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the second half.  He finished the game five-of-seven shooting from the floor and five-of-five at the free throw line.

Freshman Malik Miller (Troy, N.Y./Catholic Central ) came off the bench to score nine points and grab five rebounds in 19 minutes.  Sophomore Marques Townes (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph (Metuchen)) led the Knights with six rebounds.

Freshman Ghassan Nehme (Colorado Springs, Colo./Cheyenne Mountain) saw significant minutes off the bench and scored six points, while dishing out four assists.  As a team, FDU finished with 13 assists in the game.

Fordham held a 41-30 advantage on the boards, but the teams were even, 32-32, in points in the paint.

The Rams shot 46.7% (28-of-60) from the floor and 34.6% (9-of-26) from beyond the arc.  The Knights were 45.7% (21-of-46) from the field, but just 10% (1-of-10) from long range.  Both teams shot under 60% at the free throw line.

FDU committed 22 turnovers, which led to 26 points for the Rams.

"We just have to keep teaching, learning and working and we will be fine."  Herenda added, "It's just a shame that if we played better offense tonight we could have won this game."

The Knights will return to action on Tuesday, November 24 at Delaware and then host Saint Peter's at Stratis Arena on Saturday, November 28.