MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team fought valiantly to overcome a 15-point second-half deficit but ultimately came fractions of a second short as they were edged 77-76 by Robert Morris at the Charles Sewall Center on Thursday night.
 
After an 11-0 run in the final four minutes erased the deficit, the Knights found themselves trailing by one with five seconds to go. Junior guard Stephan Jiggetts drove from end-to-end and dumped off a pass to sophomore center Malik Miller, who made what appeared to be the game-winning layup as the final horn sounded. However, after reviewing the play, the officials deemed that the ball was still in Miller's hand and announced the final decision.
 
In the loss, the Knights (11-17, 9-8 NEC) shot 54.2 percent from the floor but were unable to overcome 20 turnovers. The Colonials (12-18, 8-9 NEC) also shot well with a 50 percent clip and took advantage of the Knights' miscues, converting them into 21 points at the offensive end.
 
Jiggetts and fellow junior guard Darian Anderson led all scorers with 17 points apiece, while sophomore guard Darnell Edge netted 15 and Earl Potts Jr. scored 12. Anderson filled up the box score with six rebounds and five assists, while Jiggetts went a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line. Jiggetts' 13 made free throws are the most by a Knight since Sidney Sanders Jr. made 13 back on January 5, 2014. 
 
The Colonials were led by Isaiah Still's 15 points and Aaron Tate's 14-point, eight-rebound effort.
 
Despite the loss, FDU can still earn a home NEC Tournament game with a victory over Saint Francis U on Saturday in Loretto, Pa.

On the tough loss, Knights head coach Greg Herenda said, "The shame of it all is that we didn't play with that urgency throughout the game. Robert Morris played harder and tougher than we did and that is how you win college basketball games at every level."

"This is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have been at the top of this league and now we cannot win a game. Once we win one -- watch out -- but until then we have to play much harder and better in all facets of the game."
 
The game began with a frenetic pace as the two teams raced up and down the floor and started hot as the Colonials started 7-of-10, while the Knights went 6-for-8. The early flurry was highlighted when Anderson connected with Potts Jr. on a soaring alley-oop.
 
Potts then connected from behind the arc, which gave an FDU 18-17 lead at the under-12 media timeout.
 
After opening the night 11-of-15 (73.3%) from the field, the Knights made just two of their final nine shots in the stanza and trailed 39-34 at the break. Despite cooling down, the Knights still posted a 54.2 percent shooting clip in the half against the NEC's third-ranked defense.
 
Edge, who has been locked in all season, continued his strong shooting with a 5-for-6 effort in the first half as he paced the Knights with 11 first-half points. The sophomore guard finished the game 7-of-8 from the field and is now shooting a robust 58.6 percent in conference play. Potts joined Edge in double figures with 10 and added four rebounds to his ledger at intermission.
 
Still topped the first-half scoring column for the Colonials with 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting. The Colonials took advantage of 10 first-half miscues by the Knights and turned them into 12 points at the other end of the floor.
 
Four turnovers in the first four minutes by the Knights to open the second half allowed the Colonials to stretch their lead to double-digits for the first time, 52-42.
 
The Colonials' defense continued to lead to run-out baskets as they surged out to a 58-43 lead by the second-half, under-12 media timeout.
 
They maintained their cushion until the final five minutes when FDU began their comeback. The Knights tallied 11 straight points, highlighted by a long 3-pointer by Anderson and clawed to within four, 74-71 with 1:05 to go.
 
After a pair of free throws by the Colonials, Jiggetts drove to the rack for the hoop and the harm and then completed the three-point play at the line to make it a one-point game. The teams traded free throws before a pair of misses by RMU provided the Knights their final opportunity.

The Knights wrap up the 2016-17 regular season this Saturday, February 25 when they take on Saint Francis U in Loretto, Pa. at 1 p.m.