HACKENSACK, N.J. –  The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team maintained its place atop the Northeast Conference standings by rolling to a 57-40 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn at Stratis Arena on Thursday night.
 
For the second straight game, the Knights' (8-10, 6-1 NEC) defense was front and center as they set a new season-low for points allowed. The 40 points are the fewest the Knights have surrendered since December 7, 1992 when they defeated NCAA Division III Montclair State University 79-38.

Additionally, the Knights held the Terriers (4-16, 2-5 NEC) to just 17 first-half points, which is the fewest they have conceded since January 15, 2000 when they held Sacred Heart to 16 in the second half of a 67-48 victory.
 
The Knights, who have grown accustomed to high-scoring games after leading the NEC in points per game last season, showed their ability to win low-scoring contests for the second straight outing as they won with 57 points after scoring 59 in Saturday's win over Central Connecticut State.
 
"I am so proud of our practices and cannot thank my players enough for what they do each and every day and the last four halves show it. We are guarding and rebounding so much better and eventually our offense will follow suit," said head coach Greg Herenda following the win.
 
Mike Holloway narrowly missed a double-double with 13 points and nine boards on 6-of-10 from the field, while freshman forward Kaleb Bishop and junior guard Darian Anderson joined Holloway in double figures with 12 points apiece on the night. Bishop added six rebounds and sparked the defensive charge with a career-best five steals.
 
"We just need to get Mike Holloway and all the forwards the ball more and that will open things up for our guards. Give St. Francis tons of credit, they played so hard defensively and forced us into some difficult places."

On his freshman forward Kaleb Bishop's performance tonight, Herenda said, "In Earl's (Potts Jr.) absence, Kaleb is doing many things for us but his ability to rebound, score and steal the ball is special for such a young player."
 
Both teams turned the ball over 19 times in the contest but the Knights out-rebounded the Terriers 43-32 and shot 40.7 percent compared to the Terriers' 25.5 percent. The Knights also dominated with a 36-6 advantage in points in the paint as they led from wire-to-wire.
 
Led by the strong defensive effort, which held the Terriers to a 1-for-12 (8.3%) start, the Knights leapt out to a 18-4 lead in the first eight minutes. The early action was highlighted by an athletic putback dunk by Bishop.
 
The lead stretched to 24-7 as the Knights continued to hold down the Terriers' attack. St. Francis connected on just two of their first 20 shots over the game's first 15 minutes.
 
The Knights were in complete control with a 32-17 lead at the break and limited the Terriers to a 5-for-29 (17.2%) effort from the floor.
 
Offensively, the Knights featured a balanced scoring attack in the opening half with Bishop's eight points leading the way and Anderson and Stephan Jiggetts tallied seven and six, respectively. Jiggetts finished with nine points and eight rebounds on the night.
 
The Knights maintained control for the entirety of the second half, eventually stretching the lead to as large as 20 points, 53-33, before settling on the 17-point final. 

Yunis Hopkinson and Gianni Ford were the lone Terriers to score in double figures with 10 points apiece in the loss.
 
Herenda added, "I just hope Saturday some of our students trickle back to campus and the Teaneck community turns out as well. This really is an exciting team that deserves big crowds."

FDU is back in action when they host LIU Brooklyn in a battle of first place teams this Saturday, February 21 for "Teaneck Day". Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at Stratis Arena and admission is free for all Teaneck residents. The Knights are currently tied with LIU Brooklyn (13-7, 6-1 NEC) and Mount St. Mary's (8-12, 6-1 NEC) for the top spot in the NEC.