Sam Levitt (KnightVision) audio highlights
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Despite a game-high 27 points from junior guard
Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ), the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team dropped its 2016-17 season opener 91-70 to Seton Hall on Friday night at Walsh Gymnasium.
The defending BIG EAST champions excelled from close range, tallying 52 of their 91 points in the paint. At the forefront of that performance was Angel Delgado, who amassed a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds on 11-of-15 shooting.
The Knights trailed by five at the break but the Pirates caught fire in the second half, connecting on 22-of-28 shots for an impressive 78.6 percent performance. The hot shooting allowed the home team to overcome a 13-for-27 effort at the free throw line.
Following the loss,
Greg Herenda said, "I am really proud of how we battled and withstood a number of Seton Hall's runs but they were just too big and too good for us in their building tonight. Delgado was a real issue tonight for us and Rodriguez and Carrington were very efficient as well, but I cannot say enough about
Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ) and the night he had."
Anderson poured in 20 of his 27 points in the second half by making a plethora of difficult shots. The Knights' junior guard knocked down 4-of-8 from behind the arc, 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) overall and added three assists and three steals to his ledger on the night.
Sophomore guard
Darnell Edge (Saugerties, N.Y./Saugerties) was the lone other Knight to join Anderson in double figures and finished with 11 tallies, while redshirt-senior
Tyrone O'Garro (Newark, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) chipped in six points to go along with a team-high 11 rebounds.
Both teams seemed overly eager to get the season underway as the game began with a series of miscues as the two teams raced up and down the floor. Anderson settled the Knights in and buried a three-pointer for the team's first hoop of the season.
Aided by Khadeen Carrington's ability to get into the lane and a 4-for-21 start by the Knights, the Pirates built a 20-10 lead midway through the first stanza.
The Pirates relied heavily on Delgado's work in the post to get easy baskets inside. Delgado tallied 12 points in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting.
Despite the cold start, the Knights were able to weather the storm thanks to a pair of big three-pointers by sophomore center
Malik Miller (Troy, N.Y./Catholic Central ). Miller nailed both of his trifectas in the final five minutes of the half as the Knights closed to within five, 33-28, at the break.
FDU was able to create second chances with five offensive boards in the first half but were outrebounded overall 29-16 by the bigger Pirates.
In the second half, Delgado picked up right where he left off and dropped in a layup for the Pirates' first bucket. Carrington promptly followed with a trey before an FDU turnover resulted in a layup and 10-point Pirate lead, 40-30.
Throughout the half, the Knights chipped away at the double-digit deficit. Back-to-back off-balance jumpers by Anderson cut it to single digits, 58-49, with 8:40 to go, however, Rodriguez answered immediately and converted an and-one on the other end.
Anderson was relentless in his attack of the basket and continued to convert high-difficulty shots on the offensive end as the Knights battled to stay within striking distance. The preseason All-NEC Team selection willed the Knights back within 10 again but Carrington counter punched time and time again at the other end of the floor for the Pirates.
Seton Hall's junior guard scored seven straight as the Pirates enhanced their cushion to 15 points, 72-57.
Carrington matched Anderson's game-high 27 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Desi Rodriguez tallied a double-double for the Pirates with 12 points and 10 boards.
Seton Hall's second half performance brought their team shooting percentage to just over 61 percent. After posting a 39.3 percent field goal clip in the first, the Knights also picked up their efforts with a 51.8 percent clip in the latter stanza.
In total, Seton Hall outrebounded the Knights 43-30, including a 10-7 edge on the offensive glass.
Herenda added, "This game will prove to help our team down the road. We will learn from it and get better. That is what we do. I am very proud of my guys."
The Knights are back in action when they host FDU-Florham in this season's home opener next Tuesday, November 15 at 7 p.m. Prior to tip-off the Knights will unveil their 2016 Northeast Conference Championship banner.
