HIGHLIGHTS
HACKENSACK, N.J. – Behind a career-high 29 points from redshirt junior guard
Xzavier Malone-Key, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team held off Quinnipiac 78-77 at Stratis Arena on Tuesday night.
With the win, the Knights (2-5) move to 2-0 on their home floor this season and 16-4 over their last 20 games inside the Rothman Center.
The Burgundy and Blue raced out of the gates and established an 18-point lead in the first six minutes, which proved to be their largest advantage of the night.
Despite the early cushion, the game would come down to the wire as Malone-Key finalized the victory by draining a free throw with 2.6 seconds remaining. The Philadelphia native, who is averaging 20.3 points per contest since making his season debut on November 24, registered the career-high point total on an efficient 8-of-12 from the field and 11-of-13 from the line.
In his return to the lineup after a two-game absence,
Jahlil Jenkins scored 17 points, while
Elyjah Williams added 11 points and
Kaleb Bishop chipped in eight points and 11 rebounds.
Both teams shot just north of 50 percent overall in the contest but the Knights won the battle at the free throw line where they converted 19 shots compared to the Bobcats' 6-of-13 effort.
Four Bobcats (2-4) scored in double figures led by Rich Kelly's 15 points. Savion Lewis scored 14 points with six rebounds and five assists and Kevin Marfo double-doubled with 14 points and 11 boards in the loss.
Following his team's victory, head coach
Greg Herenda said, "I am so happy for every player on our roster. We have had a tough month of basketball and to come out and beat a quality opponent in Quinnipiac was huge for all of our players, coaches and students. To have Jahlil and Xzavier back in uniform obviously means a great deal to our team. X has grown up so much as a player but he is maturing as a person and that is truly special to witness. On top of everything, we continue to make the Rothman Center a great home court. We have one a lot of big games in here over the last four or five years and that is so important in college basketball."
Three trifectas by Jenkins, Rush and Malone-Key sparked the Knights on an 18-0 run as they opened up a 21-3 less than six minutes into play. The Burgundy and Blue hit their first eight shots including a pair from Jenkins and forced the Bobcats to use two timeouts.
Out of the break, Jacob Rigoni helped the Bobcats claw back with a 12-0 burst of their own before Williams picked up a bucket inside to end the run. Williams' hoop settled the tide for the Knights who regained control and carried a 44-29 lead into the locker room.
Malone-Key led the charge as the Knights shot 64.3 percent from the field. The FDU guard made all four of his shots en route to 13 first-half points, while Jenkins scored seven with a pair of assists. The Knights made 4-of-7 from downtown and held the Bobcats to just 4-of-15 from deep.
Five minutes into the second stanza, the Bobcats rattled off another 12-0 run, which trimmed the Knights lead down to one, 53-52, with 11 minutes to play in regulation. Seth Pinkney highlighted the run by throwing down a one-handed alley-oop for the visitors.
The Bobcats took their first lead of the contest at the 9:02 mark, 56-55, on a layup by Marfo but the Knights answered right back with a bucket by Malone-Key, which kickstarted an 8-1 run.
The game remained tight down to the wire as the Knights led 74-72 with 1:43 to play in regulation. A pair of defensive stops, which included a block by Williams, allowed the Knights to extend their lead to 76-72 on a pair of Jenkins free throws with 26 ticks to go.
On the ensuing possession, Matt Balanc drained a corner 3-pointer to cut the Knights edge to one with 11.7 remaining. After Malone-Key split a pair at the line, Marfo finished a game-tying layup inside. With five seconds left, Malone-Key grabbed the inbound pass and was fouled in the backcourt. The junior's first attempt rattled out before he sealed the win by cashing in on the second try.
"Now we are off to Lexington and again we look forward to playing against one of the gold standard programs in the nation in Kentucky," Herenda concluded. "We have played Arizona, Villanova, Ohio State, Cincinnati and these are teams that have one National Championships. Our players, our program and our University are excited and so am I."
The Knights return to the road for their next contest as they travel to Lexington to face eighth-ranked Kentucky this Saturday, December 7.
