Game 4
Fairleigh Dickinson (1-2) vs. Kean University (0-1)
Date: Saturday, November 18, 2017
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Stratis Arena (Rothman Center) – Hackensack, N.J.
Coverage: NEC Front Row – Talent: Sitesh Shah
 
The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday when it welcomes Kean University to the Rothman Center for a 2:00 p.m. game.
 
The NCAA Division III Cougars are the second and final non-Division I opponent on the Knights' slate this season. On Wednesday, the Knights opened their home schedule with a landslide victory over University-counterpart FDU-Florham. The 62-point victory (111-49) is the largest in the program's 68-year history.
 
The Knights: After suffering a pair of setbacks against top-flight competition at No. 23 Seton Hall and Penn State to begin the season, the Knights got on track against the FDU-Florham Devils at the Rothman Center on Wednesday night. In the victory, the Knights featured seven scorers in double figures led by juniors Darnell Edge and Mike Holloway Jr. who tallied 17 points apiece. Twelve different Knights scored at least two points in the victory and all 13 active players saw game action. The 62-point margin of victory is the most in program history, while the 111 points scored by the Knights are tied for fifth most in school history. Freshman forward Noah Morgan made his first collegiate start and connected on his first five shots, filling up the stat sheet with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists. The aforementioned Holloway, added eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals to his ledger, while freshman point guard Jahlil Jenkins scored 11 points with five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
 
Herenda's Postgame Quotes: "Tonight, we did exactly what we had to – we played really hard and were very efficient for the entire 40 minutes."
 
"The stat that I relish the most is the 27 assists – we shared the ball the entire night and finished well in the paint and made 10 threes as well."
 
"Obviously, we were much bigger and deeper than Florham and just wore them down," Herenda added. "Give their kids and coaches credit, they played very hard and physical tonight but we just played our best basketball of this early season tonight."
 
"We still have a lot of work to do but I love the upside of this team. They have a great spirit and work ethic but we need to do it on every possession and eventually we will."
 
He's Back: In his return to the lineup after missing the first two games with an injury, the team's senior leader Darian Anderson did not miss a beat. Anderson knocked down his first three shots from downtown and finished with 12 points in 13 minutes of action. The Knights' senior is closing in on the program's top-10 scoring list and already ranks amongst the program's leader in other categories including third in steals (170).
 
Dishing it Out: The Knights dished out 27 assists in Wednesday night's win over FDU-Florham. The assist total is the most by the team in a game since they totaled 28 helpers in a 122-115 overtime loss to LIU Brooklyn back on February 23, 2002.
 
Home Sweet Home: Wednesday marks the first of four straight home games for the Knights and the longest homestand for the team since 2013. After the tilt with the Devils, the Knights welcome Kean (Nov. 18), Holy Cross (Nov. 22) and Princeton (Nov. 26) to the Rothman Center before spending the final seven games of 2017 on the road.
 
The Cougars: The Cougars dropped their season opener by 18 points against Baruch College on Wednesday. The Cougars were picked 10th in the preseason NJAC poll, while the Knights were tabbed second in the NEC poll. Ramapo College was a unanimous selection as NJAC preaseson No. 1, while Saint Francis U took the top spot in the NEC. Coming off a 1-24 campaign the Cougars' 2017-18 schedule features a pair of Division I opponents in the Knights and NJIT as well as the 18-game NJAC slate. Next up for Kean is a road test at Montclair State.
 
Next up: The Knights welcome Holy Cross (2-0) to the Rothman Center next Wednesday, November 22 at 2:00 p.m. The game will be preceded by the FDU women's game against Colgate at noon.