HACKENSACK, N.J. – Led by a pair of 20-point games from Darnell Edge and Kaleb Bishop, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team defeated Mount St. Mary's 87-69 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Rothman Center.
 
The senior guard Edge finished with 23 points and junior forward Bishop added 21 as the two combined to make 10 3-pointers in the victory. Bishop's 21 points match a career-high for the Paterson, New Jersey native, who added five rebounds to his ledger and made 5-of-8 from three-point range.

In addition to the high-scoring duo, sophomore guard Xzavier Malone-Key chipped in 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting with six rebounds and three assists, while second-year point guard Jahlil Jenkins added 10 points with four assists and three steals.
 
As a team, the Knights (7-11, 2-4 NEC), who led wire-to-wire, shot 51.7 percent for the game and made 12-of-26 from three-point range. The Burgundy and Blue forced 13 turnovers in the win and converted those Mount miscues into 20 points at the offensive end.
 
In the loss, Omar Habwe paced the Mountaineers (4-15, 1-5 NEC) with 16 points and seven rebounds.

"That is exactly what the doctor ordered -- a home win and a great second half of defense to finish the game," said head coach Greg Herenda following his team's win. "Kaleb, Xzavier, and Darnell were tremendous all day offensively but it was about our team defense that sealed the deal today. Today was a big step back in the right direction for our team. Now the students are back and we have a really good St. Francis team in here on Thursday night. Today was a great day and crowd to honor Martin Luther King Day and hopefully we can back it up with another big crowd on Thursday."
 
Bishop registered nine of the Knights' first 13 points as he connected on his first three shots from behind the arc. As a team, the Knights made 10 of their first 11 shots of the afternoon – including 4-of-5 from downtown -- and held a 24-16 lead prior to the second media timeout.
 
The Mountaineers answered with an 11-3 spurt to tie the game as they also had the touch from long range. Habwe led the charge by scoring nine points over that span by making a trio of trifectas.
 
With Bishop firing on all cylinders, Edge joined the action and helped the Knights close the half on a 10-3 spurt with his three-point prowess. Edge and Bishop combined to bury all eight of their shots from downtown in the half as the Knights carried a 44-37 lead into the break.
 
Edge led the way with 14 points on 5-for-5 overall and including a perfect 4-for-4 from deep and three assists, while Bishop tallied 12 on 4-of-5 shooting. As a team, the Knights shot 62.1 percent from the field and 61.5 from long range.
 
For the Mountaineers, who also shot over 60 percent in the half, Habwe tallied a team-high 12 points and made all four of his shots from behind the arc.
 
Out of the break, the Knights continued their excellent shooting and established their first double-digit lead when Malone-Key swished a 3-pointer at the 15-minute mark.
 
A fastbreak layup by Edge capped a 12-2 run by the Knights, which spanned four minutes and left the home team holding a 58-44 lead.
 
The momentum continued as the Edge and Bishop combo continued their surge and the Knights' lead grew to 19 points, 69-50 with under 10 minutes to play.
 
A corner 3-pointer by Edge gave the Knights their first 20-point lead of the game and the advantage eventually grew to 22, 82-60, before the final whistle.
 
The Knights are back home for their next contest when they host St. Francis Brooklyn this Thursday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m.