HACKENSACK, N.J. – Junior guard Darnell Edge poured in a game-high 17 points to lead the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team to a 71-56 victory over Manhattanville in an exhibition at the Rothman Center on Thursday night.
 
In the final tune-up before next Friday's season opener against No. 23 Seton Hall, head coach Greg Herenda and his staff had the opportunity to get a look at all 12 of their active players and get them some quality experience.
 
"We had to grind that basketball game out tonight – and give Manhattanville a ton of credit – those kids played really hard and were well-coached," said Herenda following the game. "It was a great night to play a lot of different combinations and we gave all of our freshmen tons of minutes. So, in the long run it was a very beneficial night to evaluate our guys."
 
Edge finished with an 8-for-13 shooting effort, totaled four steals and was one of four Knights to score in double figures. Freshman guard Jahlil Jenkins and sophomore forward Kaleb Bishop each scored 12 points, while junior forward Mike Holloway Jr. finished with 10.
 
Freshman Noah Morgan came off of the bench and displayed his defensive prowess by tallying a game-high seven steals to go along with four points and three rebounds in his 19 minutes of action.
 
"Darnell had a huge second half and Kaleb had two major dunks that really got the crowd into the game. On top of all of that, Noah Morgan gave us a huge lift off the bench when we needed it most," Herenda added.
 
The Knights' defense limited the Valiants to just 29 percent shooting overall and just 1-of-13 (7.7%) from three-point range in the opening half as the home team led 37-24 at the break.
 
Jenkins connected on two 3-pointers in the half and finished the opening stanza with nine points and seven rebounds to pace the Knights.
 
A 13-5 second-half run by the Valiants pulled them within four, 50-46 with 8:44 to play. Senior Alex Tuci was at the forefront of the effort and finished with 11 points and five rebounds on the night. Teammate Cory Madden was the lone other Valiant to reach double figures and finished with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting.
 
The Knights responded to the Valiants' spurt with a 15-4 run as they opened up a cushion they would not relinquish.
 
Bishop ignited the Knights' second-half performance with a pair of highlight-reel dunks. The first throwdown was an impressive leap from outside of the right block, which saw the second-year forward sky over two defenders and dunk emphatically. Bishop's slam came off of a swift pocket pass from Jenkins and brought the home crowd to its feet.
 
Later in the half, Bishop soared again, this time with a resounding one-handed jam as he flew down the baseline and over the top of a Valiant defender. The sophomore forward added four rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals to his ledger in the victory.
 
As a team, the Knights logged a 48.2 percent (27-56) shooting performance, while the Valiants rebounded in the second half to raise their overall field goal percentage to 36.8 percent (21-57). The Knights
 
The Knights now prepare for their season opener next Friday, November 10 against the nationally-ranked Pirates. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Prudential Center and the game will air on FoxSports2.