PRINCETON, N.J. – Led by a career-high 28 points from senior guard Darnell Edge, the Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team topped Princeton 77-66 at Jadwin Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
 
Edge played all 40 minutes and finished 8-of-13 from the field -- including 4-of-6 from three-point range -- while adding a career-best eight rebounds with two steals in the win.

Sophomore guard Xzavier Malone-Key had his best game as a Knight and buried five, second-half 3-pointers to help the Knights secure the win. Malone-Key also notched his career high with 19 points – all coming in the second half.
 
Second-year point guard Jahlil Jenkins filled up the box score with 14 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals, while junior forward Kaleb Bishop scored 11 with eight boards in the victory.
 
After the Tigers (1-2) knocked down 7-of-12 (58.3%) from three-point range in the first half, the Knights (3-1) held them to 0-for-9 from behind the arc over the final 20 minutes.

The victory is the Knights' first at Jadwin Gymnasium and second over the Tigers in five all-time meetings.

The Knights out-rebounded the Tigers 36-26 on the glass and took care of business at the free throw line as they made 15-of-19 (78.9%) on the night.  
 
Devin Cannady scored 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds to pace the Tigers in the loss.
 
"Our number one priority this spring, summer and fall has been our half-court defense and tonight we reaped the rewards," said head coach Greg Herenda. "Every player in a blue jersey committed to guarding and ultimately that is how we walked out of here with a huge win. Offensively, the three amigos were really fun to coach and to watch in the second half. Darnell was spectacular the entire game but Xzavier's start to the second half opened it up for everyone. Eventually, our bigs will play the way that they are capable of and then this team will get to the next level."

The Knights missed their first nine shots of the game before Edge drained a pull-up from inside the free throw line to make it a 6-2 game at the first media time out. Edge scored the Knights' first six points but the team struggled to a 2-for-13 start, including 0-for-7 from behind the arc.
 
Defensively, the Knights' early-seaon, ball-hawking pressure continued as they forced nine turnovers over the first 10 minutes of action, which allowed them to overcome their slow offensive start and take a 17-15 lead.
 
With their defense creating high-percentage offensive chances, the Knights made eight of their next nine shots with Edge leading the charge.
 
Cannady was the catalyst for the Tigers in the opening stanza, connecting on his first five shots – including four 3-pointers – en route to a game-high 15 points at the break.
 
The Tigers overcame their 10 first-half miscues and carried a 34-30 edge into the half thanks in part to a 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) performance from three-point range.
 
Edge tallied 13 points with four rebounds and a pair of steals in the opening half, while Jenkins scored eight.
 
Malone-Key came out firing after the break, connecting on his first four tries from downtown and putting the Knights on top 53-50 with 11:30 to play in regulation.
 
As a team, the Knights made six of their first eight from behind the arc to start the second half after making just 4-of-13 in the opening stanza.
 
Edge surpassed his previous career-high 22 points by finishing a difficult up-and-under layup with 3:35 to go, which gave the Knights a 64-58 lead. Jenkins followed with a floater in the lane before Malone-Key struck again from three-point land to give the Knights a nine-point cushion with under three to play.
 
Malone-Key's basket allowed the Knights to close the game out at the free throw line and eventually build their largest lead of the contest, 13 points (73-60).

Herenda concluded, "To win in this historic gym is special and our guys really deserved it. It is a great way to go into Thanksgiving weekend. We have a great deal to be thankful for but we still have a lot of improvement ahead of us."
 
The Knights are back in action this Sunday, November 25 when they host Lafayette at 3:00 p.m.