HACKENSACK, N.J. – A spirited defensive effort propelled the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team to a 60-58 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday night at the Rothman Center.
 
The Knights (8-11, 3-4 NEC), who held the Terriers (12-8, 4-3 NEC), to just 21 first-half points, needed to make four stops in the final minute to sustain their two-point edge and their defense came through. The 21 points are the fewest permitted by the Knights in a half this season.
 
Senior guard Darnell Edge led the way for the Burgundy and Blue with 18 points and matched his career-high eight rebounds on 7-of-12 from the field, while second-year point guard Jahlil Jenkins amassed 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting performance.
 
For the Terriers, Rosel Hurley scored a game-high 19 points and Deniz Celen and Jalen Jordan each chipped in with 16. Celen netted a double-double by corralling 10 rebounds for the Terriers, who grabbed 14 offensive boards and won the battle on the glass 35-31. The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for St. Francis Brooklyn.
 
The Knights, who entering Thursday night's contest were averaging nearly 85 points per game at home this season, used stingy defense to hold the Terriers to just 4-of-26 (15.4 percent) from behind the arc and 38.1 percent overall.

"That was a hard fought conference battle and we did just that -- battle until the final buzzer went off," said Greg Herenda following his team's win. "We held a really good team to 58 points and some low percentages tonight and ultimately, that was the reason for our win. St. Francis is such a tough and well-coached team, we knew we had to be ready on each and every possession. I know our guys are tired and I am exhausted."
 
Both teams started cold as they combined to make just two of their first 15 shots. The lone exception was Jenkins, who made his first three shots including a 3-pointer as the Knights led 16-9 midway through the half.
 
With Jenkins leading the charge, the Knights raced out on an 11-0 run and established a 29-14 lead with under six minutes remaining.
 
After the Terriers answered with a 7-0 spurt, Edge beat the shot clock with five straight, including a 3-pointer from the wing, which rebuilt the double-digit lead.
 
The Knights would carry a 36-21 lead into the locker room after Edge closed the half by calling his own number and laying in the ball as time expired.
 
Through the first 20 minutes, the Knights shot 55.6 percent, while limiting the Terriers to just 27.6 percent. Edge and Jenkins paced the attack with 13 and 11 points, respectively, while Jenkins added five rebounds and five assists to his ledger.
 
Celen and Jordan helped the Terriers answer with a 12-2 run, which spanned four minutes and made it a 48-47 game with under eight minutes to play in regulation. The Knights were held scoreless for nearly three minutes before Mike Holloway Jr. finished a physical bucket inside to end the drought. Holloway would finish with 10 points and a pair of steals on the night.
 
Minutes later, the Terriers netted their first lead since the first minute, 51-50, when Jordan splashed a jumper from the wing.
 
The Terriers would take a four-point lead before the Knights recovered and went in front, 58-56, with 2:30 to go on an Edge layup.
 
With 45 seconds remaining, the Knights buckled down defensively and survived a pair of offensive rebounds and three attempts by the Terriers to prevail with the win. Jordan garnered the best look of the bunch -- after each team used a timeout -- his 3-pointer was offline as the ball fell to the floor and time expired. 

Herenda concluded, "Now we need to recover and make the trip to Rhode Island and get ready to win on the road. We are climbing a mountain and each step is as important as the last. I am just very proud of the heart and soul of every player on our team tonight -- that was a pivotal victory for our team.
 
The Knights will look to extend their win streak to three on Saturday when they head to Smithfield, R.I. to take on Bryant at 4:00 p.m.