FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Led by a career-high 28 points from sophomore guard
Brandon Rush the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team defeated Fairfield 69-65 at Alumni Hall on Tuesday afternoon.
The Knights (2-6) led by as many as 12 points in the contest before the Stags (1-8) rallied back to close to within one in the final minute.
Rush exploded from long range, burying 7-of-10 three-pointers, while adding seven rebounds to his ledger in the win. Senior guard
Jahlil Jenkins joined Rush in double figures with 13 points, while senior forward
Elyjah Williams enjoyed a full stat line with seven points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Coach Herenda's Postgame Thoughts
Press Conference Video
"You are a better team and better coach when the ball goes in the basket and
Brandon Rush showed us all how to do that today. He really opened our offense up early and I thought we played well defensively and made it difficult for Fairfield to score throughout the game."
"I just love the fact that we received contributions from everyone today. We had eight active players and everyone did things on both ends of the floor to lead us to our first road win of the season."
"Lastly, I just want to wish all of our families and players a very happy holiday. Our players have really sacrificed so much and so have their families. This group deserves rest and to enjoy the holidays to the fullest and the same to all of our alums and fans."
How it Happened
- With Rush's long-range shooting leading the way, the Knights hit their first seven three-pointers, six of which came from the sophomore guard, as they led 28-24 with 7:04 to play in the opening half.
- The Burgundy and Blue opened up a five-point lead before the Stags briefly jumped in front thanks to a 7-0 run highlighted by a three-point play from Taj Benning.
- Jenkins capped the first-half scoring with a three-point play of his own and sent the Knights into the break with a 36-33 edge.
- The Burgundy and Blue hit 8-of-10 from three-point range in the half but made just 2-of-8 at the line.
- A scoring drought by the Stags in the second half allowed the Knights to extend their lead to nine, 47-38, prior to the first media timeout.
- After the Stags trimmed the Knights' lead down to five, Jenkins drained a difficult stepback three-pointer to stop the momentum midway through the stanza.
- Minutes later, Jenkins provided the Knights with their first double-digit lead of the contest, 58-48, by using some swift ball-handling and a hesitation move, which resulted in an easy layup.
- The Stags immediately roared back with a 7-0 run before freshman John Square Jr. snapped the spurt with a bucket.
- The Knights led by eight with two minutes to go but the Stags refused to away and cut the Knights' lead down to one, 66-65, with 23.6 to go.
- Over the remaining seconds, Jenkins and Rush combined to convert three of four at the line and the Knights defense came up with two stops to seal the win.
Inside the Box Score
- The win is the Knights' first over the Stags since 1971. The teams last met in 1992.
- Rush's first seven makes came from behind the arc before he finished a driving layup resulting in career-high 23rd point.
- The sophomore from Ohio scored 27 of the Knights' first 49 points.
- Rush's seven three-pointers are the most by a Knight since sharpshooter Darnell Edge made seven in the Knights' historic NCAA Tournament First Four win over Prairie View in 2019.
- Square Jr. made his third straight start and connected on all four of his shots en route to nine points and six rebounds.
- The 10 made three-pointers are the most by the Knights this season and the 65 points are the fewest by an opponent.
Up Next
The Knights will enjoy some time off for the holidays before returning to action with NEC play on January 7 against Wagner. Tip-off for that game is set for 7:00 p.m. at Stratis Arena.
