Coach Herenda Postgame Interview

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. – Junior guard Stephan Jiggetts scored a career-high 28 points -- including the Knights' last nine -- as Fairleigh Dickinson topped St. Francis Brooklyn 79-73 at Pope P.E. Center on Thursday night.
 
Jiggetts netted 19 of his 28 points in the second half and made 8-of-14 from the field and all 10 of his free throws. The junior guard's play down the stretch pushed the Knights to the win as he connected on three huge buckets in the final minutes.
 
After struggling early on, the Knights (10-10, 8-1 NEC) shot 57.7 percent from the field in the second half. The NEC's top-shooting free throw team also continued its success at the line as the Knights connected on 20-of-23 (87%).
 
Jiggetts' biggest hoop came with 26 ticks to go and the shot clock winding down. With the Knights offense in disarray, the junior guard took control, drove to the bucket and finished a physical layup over the Terriers' frontline to give the Knights a four-point lead.

"The MVP tonight goes to our trainer -- Amanda Livsey. She did an incredible job getting Stephan back on the floor after he took a shot to the eye. I cannot say enough about Steph's game tonight -- he single-handedly led us to victory -- he was special," coach Greg Herenda said following the win.
 
With the victory, the Knights remain tied atop the Northeast Conference standings with Mount St. Mary's, who topped Robert Morris on Thursday night. The 8-1 record to begin NEC play matches the program's best start, which was achieved in the 1997-98 campaign.
 
The win was also the Knights' first in the Pope Center in their last five tries. Sophomore forward Mike Holloway nabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for FDU as they out-rebounded the Terriers (4-18, 2-7 NEC) 41-34 on the night. Holloway added eight points to his ledger, while freshman forward Kaleb Bishop netted a career-high 15 points and Darnell Edge had 13.

Herenda continued, "Personally, that was my first win in that building and they are really really hard to beat here. St. Francis is going to start winning games soon and we were fortunate to get out of here tonight with a win."

"It was also great to get Earl (Potts Jr.) back on the floor again. He hit a few huge three's and came up with the biggest loose ball of the game late. I have to get Earl and Kaleb on the floor at the same time. This team is still a work in progress but it sure is a fun process."

Bishop's 15 points came in highlight-reel fashion as he delivered three emphatic dunks in the win. The freshman forward nabbed seven rebounds and Edge tallied eight on the night.
 
The Terriers jumped out to a 9-0 lead as the Knights missed their first six shots and turned the ball over twice. The Knights started the game 0-for-8 until Holloway dropped in a layup for the team's first field goal.
 
Despite a 1-for-13 start from the field, the Knights quickly pulled in front, 13-11, just past the 12-minute media timeout, thanks to a 9-for-10 stint from the line.
 
Jiggetts drained a corner 3-pointer to snap the Knights' 0-for-6 start from downtown but the Terriers continued to answer with buckets on the other end.
 
With the game tied in the waning seconds, Bishop threw down his third dunk of the half – second putback dunk -- which sent the Knights into the break with a 34-32 lead. The freshman forward was soaring over Terriers throughout the half and finished with eight points and six rebounds through the first 20 minutes.
 
Jiggetts topped the Knights with nine points, while Holloway scored six and added a team-high eight rebounds in the stanza.
 
The Knights finished the half just 1-for-9 (11.1%) from 3-point range and shot 37.5 percent overall, while the Terriers connected on 41.2 percent overall. FDU was aided by a 24-17 advantage on the glass, including eight offensive rebounds, which culminated in 11 second-chance points.
 
 An 8-2 run over the first two minutes of the second half allowed the Knights to open up some breathing room with a 42-34 lead.
 
The Terriers clawed to within two, 62-60, with just under six minutes to go but Bishop answered with a driving, left-handed layup and completed the three-point play at the line. Then, Edge splashed a 3-pointer from the corner, which stretched the lead to 70-63 with 3:52 to go. St. Francis refused to go away quietly and fought back by getting to the line and made it a 70-68 game with 2:30 remaining.
 
Jiggetts closed out the win for the Knights as they topped St. Francis for the second time in seven days.

Rasheem Dunn paced the Terriers with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the loss. 
 
Next up for the Knights is a trip to Smithfield, R.I. to take on Bryant University this Saturday, January 28 at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast on MSG+.