NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker to Merrimack, 74-71 at Hammel Court on Thursday night.
 
With five seconds to play in the second overtime period, Merrimack's Jaleel Lord beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer from the wing, which proved to be the deciding basket.
 
Senior forward Kaleb Bishop delivered his sixth double-double of the season for the Knights (4-14, 2-5 NEC) by scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the loss. Sophomore guard Brandon Powell filled up the box score with 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals, while junior Elyjah Williams scored 11 and grabbed seven rebounds.
 
Idris Joyner led all scorers with 21 points for the first-place Warriors (13-8, 7-1 NEC) and Lord added 20 points, connecting on 6-of-12 from three-point range.
 
The Knights shot 40 percent overall and made 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from behind the arc however, they took care of business at the free throw line where they converted 18-of-19 (94.7 percent). The Warriors only made 37 percent from the field but knocked down 10-of-25 (40 percent) from behind the arc.

Following the loss at his alma mater, head coach Greg Herenda said, "Obviously, that was a tough one for us tonight. We were in a position to win the game several times and just missed layups and missed assignments. If you were a fan, that was a great college basketball game to watch but to lose it hurts. We came out and played a really poor first half and that was the difference. We scored 49 points over the final 30 minutes of the game but we just did not execute in the first 20 minutes. Now we need to bounce back in Connecticut on Saturday."
 
Both teams struggled out of the gate as the Knights made 4-of-14, while the Warriors started 4-of-17 but the hosts led 16-11 thanks to three 3-pointers.
 
The Warriors continued to dictate with their slow-paced tempo, limiting chances and keeping the Knights offense in check. Marc Dadika would pace the Burgundy and Blue with seven first-half points as the Knights trailed 29-22 at the half.
 
The 22 first-half points are a season low for the Knights, who shot 34 percent overall and made 1-of-5 from behind the arc. The Warriors also shot 34 percent overall in the stanza but made 4-of-12 from three-point range.
 
Out of the break, the Knights would find the touch offensively, connecting on seven of their first 13 and capturing a 43-38 lead. The game remained tight throughout with the teams trading leads before Powell tied the game with a corner three and then put the Knights on top by draining a pair of free throws with 1:31 to play.
 
The Knights' two-point lead would hold until Lord converted a layup with five seconds to go which forced the first overtime period. Williams scored the first bucket of overtime and the Knights would hold two leads including a 65-63 edge with 49 seconds to go but the Warriors answered again. Juvaris Hayes converted a layup with 37 seconds to go and the game proceeded to a second overtime.
 
Merrimack captured three leads in the second overtime but the Knights tied it each time before Lord's 3-pointer finalized the contest.

The double-overtime contest was the Knights' second in as many seasons. Last season, the Burgundy and Blue lost 103-96 at home to Central Connecticut State in a marathon game.

The Knights are back in action this Saturday, January 25 when they travel to Fairfield, Conn. to face Sacred Heart. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.