HACKENSACK, N.J. – For the first time this season, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball dropped a home contest, falling 80-65 to Princeton on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Knights (2-8), who were 2-0 on the season and have won 16 of their last 20 inside the Rothman Center, were unable to overcome a 41-23 disadvantage on the glass, which led to 18 second-chance points for the Tigers (2-7).
 
Junior forward Elyjah Williams led all scorers with 19 points on 8-of-11 from the field, while junior guard Jahlil Jenkins netted 18 points with four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Jenkins also made all eight of his free throw attempts as the Knights knocked down 15-of-20 as a team.
 
The Tigers received an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double from Richmond Aririguzoh in the victory. Aririguzoh made 7-of-9 from the field as the Tigers shot 50 percent overall and hit 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from behind the arc. The Knights held a massive 15-6 advantage in turnovers but struggled to convert from three-point range, making just 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) in the loss.
 
"Give Mitch and Princeton all of the credit," remarked head coach Greg Herenda following the loss. "They thoroughly out-guarded, out-rebounded and out-played us in the second half. We need to finish our exams and then get ready to go to Philadelphia and play another tough team in La Salle."
 
A neck-and-neck first half saw each team lead 10 times with no team leading by more than five points. The two squads each took care of business at the free throw line with the Knights making 10-of-11 and the Tigers converting 10-of-12 in the half.
 
When the halftime buzzer sounded the teams were deadlocked at 42. Jenkins and Williams paced the Burgundy and Blue with 14 points apiece in the stanza, with Williams converting 6-of-7 from the field. Overall, the Knights shot 48.3 percent, while the Tigers made 56.5 percent. Aririguzoh topped a balanced scoring sheet for the Tigers with nine points and eight boards in the stanza.
 
An 8-0 run prior to the first media timeout allowed the Tigers to establish a nine-point lead before Xzavier Malone-Key ended the stretch with a pull-up jumper. A corner 3-pointer by Ryan Langborg provided the Tigers with their first double-digit lead of the game, 55-45 with 14:48 to play in regulation.
 
The lead would grow to as many as 19 points, 69-50  after Jeremy Desrosiers converted a fastbreak layup with nine minutes to go.
 
The Knights chipped away but were unable to close to within single digits before the final horn.
 
The Burgundy and Blue close out non-conference play a week from today as they visit La Salle on Saturday, December 21.