LORETTO, Pa. – Sophomore forward Kaleb Bishop matched his career-high with 18 points but the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team fell to Saint Francis U 74-60 on Thursday night at DeGol Arena.
 
Bishop converted 9-of-12 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds in the loss as the Knights (7-15, 4-7 NEC) failed to log four scorers in double figures for just the second time in NEC play this season.
 
Saint Francis U (13-9, 7-4 NEC) featured five in double figures led by sophomore guard Keith Braxton, who logged a rare triple-double with 12 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. Junior guard Jamaal King and freshman center Mark Flagg topped the scoresheet for SFU with 17 points apiece.
 
With Bishop leading the charge, the Knights used a 12-2 run to erase a double-digit deficit and claw to within two points with 4:32 to go. However, Bishop's layup would be the Knights' final bucket of the night as they missed their final six shots of the game and SFU netted 13 of the game's final 14 points to secure the win.
 
The Knights shot 36.6 percent for the game and managed just 2-of-19 (10.5 percent) from behind the arc, while the Red Flash knocked down 8-of-14 from deep and 50.0 percent overall. Despite a 46-36 edge in points in the paint and 19-7 advantage in second-chance points, the Burgundy & Blue were unable to overcome an off-shooting night.

"We were not able to stop anybody consistently all night long. When we cut it to two late in the game, we turned it over and they scored five quick points. It's really that cut and dry," said head coach Greg Herenda following the game. "On top of everything else, we just could not buy a perimeter shot all night long. Add it all up and it's virtually impossible to win on the road in our conference or any conference in America for that matter."
 
After trailing in the early going with a 4-for-13 start from the field, the Knights captured their first lead of the game, 15-14, midway through the opening stanza. A three-point play by Edge followed by an offensive rebound putback by Bishop capped a 7-0 spurt.
 
The 7-0 spurt was part of a 15-4 run by the Knights, which resulted in a 23-18 edge with eight minutes to play in the half.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Braxton and Scott Meredith ended the Knights' run and put the Red Flash back on top 24-23 with 6:18 remaining.
 
The game remained with the Red Flash carrying a slim 36-34 edge into the break. Both teams converted 14 field goals in the opening half with the Knights shooting 40 percent and the Red Flash 56 percent. Five first-half offensive rebounds and five steals helped the Knights take 10 more shots than the Red Flash but the home team knocked down 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) from long range.
 
Jahlil Jenkins led the Knights at the break with nine points, three assists and three steals, while Bishop had eight points and four boards. The Red Flash saw Braxton and Andre Wolford had 10 points apiece to pace the Red Flash. Wolford finished with 15 in the contest.
 
After Bishop gave the Knights a 40-39 lead with an emphatic putback slam, the Red Flash rattled off a 17-3 spurt and built their first double-digit lead of the contest, 56-43, with 12:34 to play in regulation. The Knights were just 1-for-8 over that span, while the Red Flash converted six of eight chances.
 
Bishop continued to surge for the Knights, who used a 12-2 response to claw to within two, 61-59, with 4:32 to go, however, the team went cold as SFU pulled away for the win.
 
Mike Holloway Jr. was the lone other Knight to reach double figures by scoring 10 points to go along with nine rebounds but the FDU big man battled foul trouble and was limited to 24 minutes.
 
Junior forward Nadi Beciri provided a spark off of the bench and blocked a career-high three shots with four points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
 
The Knights close out this three-game road trip on Saturday when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on Robert Morris. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.