Game 5
Fairleigh Dickinson (2-2) vs. Holy Cross (2-1)
Date: Wednesday, November 21, 2017
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Stratis Arena (Rothman Center) – Hackensack, N.J.
Coverage: NEC Front Row 
Talent: Sitesh Shah and Darryl Jacobs


The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday when it faces the Holy Cross Crusaders on Wednesday afternoon at the Rothman Center. The game will tip-off approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball game, which begins at noon.
 
The Knights: The Knights had another huge offensive output on Saturday as they blew past Kean University 94-55 at the Rothman Center. Darnell Edge topped the Knights' scoresheet with 18 points and had a career-high seven steals. Edge's steal total is the most by a Knight since 2009. Freshman guard Jahlil Jenkins once again filled up the box score with 11 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Jenkins has dished out at least four assists in every game this season and is averaging six per game through his first four with the Knights. In 20 minutes of action, Mike Holloway Jr. totaled 17 points and eight rebounds, while senior guard Darian Anderson tallied 10 points, four assists and four steals in his 17 minutes of court time. Anderson, who has 174 career steals, is just two away from second most in school history. Over the final five minutes of the half, the Knights outscored the Cougars 20-4 and led by 20 points, 50-30 at intermission. The Knights forced 15 turnovers in the first half and offensively, Edge and Holloway led the way with 14 and 11 points, respectively. A 25-4 stretch to begin the second half allowed the Knights to cruise to the finish line.

Herenda's postgame quotes - "Give Kean a ton of credit – they played very hard and defensively came at us all day long but early, Darnell and Mike were able to set the tone offensively."

"I really like how we came out and defended and rebounded in the second half. Again, I cannot say enough about how we share the ball – that is a truly telling stat about the character of our team."

"Now we look ahead to two very prestigious programs coming to the Rothman Center in Holy Cross and Princeton. They are two teams that are very well coached and have very skilled players. It's almost like an old-school holiday tournament – I cannot wait."

Points Aplenty: The Knights dominated a pair of Division III opponents last week, topping FDU-Florham 111-49 and Kean 94-55. The 206 combined points are the most ever by the Knights in back-to-back games.

Turn it Over: The Knights nabbed a program-record 19 steals in the win against Kean and forced 31 turnovers. Junior guard Darnell Edge was at the forefront of the effort with seven steals of his own (most by a Knight since Sean Baptiste totaled seven on 1/10/09 against CCSU.)

Home Sweet Home: The Knights are in the midst of a stretch of four straight home games and the longest homestand for the team since 2013. After this week, the team will spend the final seven games of 2017 on the road.

He's Back: After missing back-to-back games for the firsttime in his career (three total missed games), senior guard Darian Anderson returned in limited action against Florham on Nov. 15 and scored 12 points in the first half playing just 13 minutes total.

First Shots: Newcomers Elyjah WIlliams, Noah Morgan, Tyler Jones Pat McNamara and Brian Fabre all knocked down their first shots with the Knights this season. Furthermore, Jones, McNamara and Jones' all buried 3-pointers to begin their FDU careers.

The Crusaders: Holy Cross is off to a 2-1 start this season, with victories over Sacred Heart (69-64) and Harvard (73-69) and a loss at Rhode Island (88-66). Junior guard Patrick Benzan leads the team by averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Karl Charles, a junior forward for the Crusaders, has added 12.5 points, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals per contest, while freshman guard Caleb Green is chipping in with 12.7 points, 4.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. The Crusaders, who were picked eighth in this season's Patriot League preseason coaches' poll, posted a 15-17 overall record last season and finished fifth in the conference with a 9-9 mark in PL games.

Up Next: The Knights return to action with their fourth and final home game of 2017 when they face the defending Ivy League Champion Princeton Tigers on Sunday, November 26 at the Rothman Center. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.