Postgame Press Conference

HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team is on its way to the 2019 Northeast Conference Championship following its 66-62 victory over No. 4 seed Robert Morris at the Rothman Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Knights (19-13) will travel to Loretto, Pa. to take on No. 1 seed Saint Francis U in the conference title game on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. That game will air on ESPN2.
 
In the victory, the Knights shot 50 percent from the field and featured four players in double figures led by senior guard Darnell Edge's 20-point effort. Edge made 8-of-12 overall including a season-high seven two-point field goals. Also in the win, sophomore Jahlil Jenkins finished with 18 points, freshman Brandon Powell netted a career-high 11 and senior Mike Holloway Jr. added 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Senior guard Matty McConnell's 17 points topped the box score for the Colonials (17-16), who led by as many as 10 points in the second half. Charles Bain added 10 in the loss as the team shot 42.9 percent overall and 8-of-21 from behind the arc.
 
The Burgundy and Blue were able to overcome 17 turnovers by out-rebounding the Colonials 29-23 and making 22-of-27 (81.5 percent) free throws. The win marks the seventh in a row for the Knights, who have also won 13 of their last 15 outings. In addition, the team improved to 13-4 at home this season -- their most wins since 1990-91 -- and 4-0 in home NEC postseason games under Greg Herenda.

After the game, Herenda said, "That was a great college basketball game and we were very fortunate to be on the winning side today. Robert Morris played so hard and so well but my guys just hung in there and somehow found a way. You can go down the list but Darnell Edge had the toughest 20 points that he has ever scored and Jahlil just came up huge down the stretch. On top of all of that, the hustle and heart plays that Elyjah and Brandon made were immense. It was all about not giving up today and making winning plays down the stretch. I cannot say enough about the crowd and the atmosphere -- the Rothman was rocking. Now we play for a championship -- there is nothing better."
 
Each team started 2-for-7 from the field with the seniors Edge and Holloway each making a 3-pointer over that span for the Knights. With the Knights leading by two, the Colonials used a 7-0 spurt to gain the first separation of the game, 19-14. The run included Josh Williams' first 3-pointer of the day.
 
The Burgundy and Blue responded with an 11-2 run of their own highlighted by a long 3-pointer by Kaleb Bishop.
 
Over the final six minutes, the Knights out-scored the Colonials 12-4 and carried a 28-26 lead into the locker room.
 
Powell and Edge paced the Knights in the opening half with seven points apiece, while Holloway scored six with five rebounds. McConnell matched Powell and Edge with a game-high seven points at the break.
 
As a team, the Knights shot 50 percent in the stanza and held the Colonials to 40 percent.
 
The Colonials came out firing in the second half and knocked down four 3-pointers as part of a 17-5 run to build a 43-33 lead with 14:06 to go. Josh Williams made two from downtown over that span including the shot which established the double-digit cushion.
 
A 10-2 burst by the Knights erased the deficit and Edge tied the game at 54 apiece with a fastbreak layup with under six minutes to go.
 
Edge would then put the Knights on top with a three-point play, 62-60, with under three to play in regulation.
 
Despite a pair of misses, the 62-60 edge would hold until 21 seconds to go thanks to a pair of defensive stops by the Knights and two offensive rebounds by Elyjah Williams. First, Williams rebounded a missed free throw and on the Knights' next possession he sprinted through the lane to corral a loose ball, which eventually forced the Colonials to foul Jenkins. Jenkins made both free throws and after an RMU bucket, Edge closed out the game by also draining a pair at the line. 

The Knights will now travel to Loretto to square off with the Red Flash (18-13) for the 2019 title. The two teams split their two meetings this season with each team winning on the opposition's home floor.