HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit and improved to 2-0 in the Northeast Conference by topping Robert Morris 81-77 at Stratis Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Darian Anderson delivered the heroics with a go-ahead 3-pointer, which put the Knights in front 73-72, a lead they would not relinquish. The relentless junior guard poured in a game-high 26 points and helped seal the game with clutch free throws down the stretch.
The Knights were able to overcome a 19.2 percent (5-of-26) performance from 3-point range by taking care of business with a 26-for-28 (92.9%) effort at the charity stripe. The 26 made free throws are a season-high for the team.
For the second game in a row, the team's defense was front-and-center. The aggressive Knights' defense forced 19 Colonial turnovers. Anderson, who is sixth all-time in FDU history in steals, led the way with four thefts in the win.
The Knights also received a huge contribution off the bench from sophomore guard
Darnell Edge, who netted a season-high 18 points to go along with a career-best six rebounds. The victory was head coach
Greg Herenda's first over the Colonials. The Knights' fourth-year coach had previously been 0-6 against the NEC foe.
Following the win coach Herenda said, "I am sad that 2016 has to end. It was an incredible year for our program. We were picked to be in 9th place and won the NEC title, went to the NCAA Tournament and had the highest GPA in our conference for the second straight year. I told our team to cherish 2016 and look forward to more success."
Herenda continued, "To finish the year by coming back from an 11-point lead against a very good Robert Morris team is the cherry on top of the cake. I am so proud of my team and their resilience – they just never give up and that's what I love about these guys."
The afternoon began with nearly four minutes of scoreless basketball as the Knights opened 0-for-7 from the field and the Colonials began the game 0-2 before Matty McConnell drained a 3-pointer. Eight straight points by McConnell propelled the Colonials to a 9-2 lead at the first media timeout.
Anderson cashed a 3-pointer, which sparked a 10-0 run for the Knights and put them in front 12-9 with 13 to play in the half.
The Knights built their first half lead to as large as seven points before the halftime score settled at 35-30 at the break.
Edge came off the bench and provided a much-needed spark for the FDU offense in the first half. The sophomore guard led all scorers at the break with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Anderson tallied 11 in the half to go along with three of the Knights' nine steals.
For the second straight game, a stellar defensive effort by the Knights allowed them to overcome a slow shooting start. The Knights forced 13 first half turnovers and held the lead despite an 11-of-32 (34.4%) performance from the floor, which included a 2-for-14 (14.3%) effort from behind the arc.
The Colonials immediately erased the deficit by tallying the first seven points of the second half. Braden Burke sparked the outburst with six points of the first five minutes of the half and the Colonials led by two, 45-43 at the first media timeout.
With the Knights struggling to make shots, the Colonials' lead grew to as large as 11 points, 65-54 with 6:10 to go.
Fairleigh Dickinson fought back resiliently with a 10-2 spurt to claw within two with 4:01 to play in regulation. Over that span, the Knights connected on all four of their shots.
With 2:35 to go, Anderson's trey, which came from NBA-distance, put the home team in front good. Down the stretch, the Knights delivered eight straight makes at the free throw line – four by Anderson – to close out the win.
Five Colonials scored in double figures led by 12 points apiece from Kavon Stewart and Braden Burke.
Earl Potts Jr. and
Stephan Jiggetts each tallied 14 for the Knights in the win.
Next up for the Knights is a rematch of last season's NEC Championship Game as they travel to Staten Island, N.Y. to take on Wagner next Thursday, January 9 at 9 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.
