HACKENSACK, N.J. – In a game that came down to the final second, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team was edged, 77-75 by Sacred Heart at the Rothman Center on Thursday night.
 
The Knights (3-11, 1-2 NEC) trailed by eight points with 1:25 to play but mounted a furious comeback, which was capped Jahlil Jenkins' game-tying, driving layup with 6.9 seconds to play.
 
On the ensuing possession, Sacred Heart (9-7, 2-1 NEC) sophomore point guard Cameron Parker drove to the basket and drew a foul. With 0.8 on the clock, Parker converted both free throws and sealed the win for his team.
 
Jenkins finished with a game-high 24 points and matched his career-high with four 3-pointers. The junior point guard added four rebounds, two assists and two steals to his ledger in the loss. Senior forward Kaleb Bishop scored 19 with nine rebounds and a pair of blocks, while Xzavier Malone-Key and Brandon Powell scored 14 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Koreem Ozier poured in 23 points to pace the Pioneers, while E.J. Anosike double-doubled with 19 points and 12 boards, and Parker scored 10 with six assists.
 
"The key to tonight's game was not coming out ready to start the game and the second half," said Greg Herenda following the loss. "It's a shame that we didn't win this game tonight but we just didn't play for the entire 40 minutes. This group knows how to come back. We've been doing it for the seven years that I have been here but we didn't defend for the last seven seconds."
 
The Knights made a season-high 11-of-22 from three-point range but lost the battle on the glass 38-30. The visiting Pioneers made 46 percent overall and 9-of-20 from behind the arc.
 
"The thing that makes me the saddest is that this was the first home game that my uncle was not here for and that hurts me not only as a nephew but also as the head coach of FDU Basketball," Herenda concluded. "He was as big a part of this program as anyone and the one lasting memory we will have of him is the American flag that hangs over the Rothman Center. He donated it to FDU and his legacy will always look down over me and our program."
 
A 4-for-4 start led to the Pioneers scoring the first nine points of the night before Powell dropped in a put back for the Knights. The hot shooting continued for the Pioneers who established a 13-point lead, 25-12, with 9:36 to play in the half.
 
The Burgundy and Blue would hit their stride offensively and stormed back to eventually take their first lead of the game, 33-32, on an offensive rebound and layup from Bishop 2:28 shy of the break. With Bishop leading the charge, the Knights outscored the Pioneers by 16 points over the final nine minutes and carried 41-35 lead into halftime.
 
Bishop scored 17 in the stanza on 7-of-11 shooting including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Powell and Jenkins each tallied 10 points in the stanza as the Knights buried 7-of-12 from three-point range and shot 54 percent overall.
 
The Knights continued to hold until four minutes to go when Kinnon LaRose knocked down a corner 3-pointer and gave the Pioneers a 67-64 lead. LaRose's trifecta was part of a 13-0 spurt, which put the Knights down 72-64 with 2:18 to go.
 
Five straight points by Elyjah Williams made it a 75-73 contest with 44 seconds remaining. After a defensive stop, Jenkins knotted the game with his difficult layup in traffic but Parker's free throws proved to be the difference.
 
The Knights are on the road for their next contest as they travel across the George Washington Bridge to take on LIU this Saturday, January 11 at 4:30 p.m.