NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team nearly overcame a 13-point halftime deficit but ultimately came up short, falling 76-75 at Central Connecticut State on Tuesday night.
 
In the loss, sophomore guard Brandon Powell matched his career-high with 16 points with six rebounds, while redshirt junior guard Xzavier Malone-Key also finished with 16 and six. Reigning NEC Player of the Week, Jahlil Jenkins scored 14 points with four assists, Kaleb Bishop added 13 points and Elyjah Williams narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.

"All the credit goes to Central -- they have quietly been playing very good basketball of late and they played an almost flawless first half," said Greg Herenda following the loss. "Donyell has done a terrific job with his young kids."
 
The Blue Devils (4-24, 3-12 NEC), who were led by Ian Krishnan's 16 points, shot 54.7 percent overall and made 8-of-15 from three-point range in the win. The Knights (8-17, 6-8 NEC) out-rebounded the opposition 35-29 and shot 40.9 percent overall and 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from long range.
 
Both teams took care of business at the free throw line as the Blue Devils knocked down all 10 of 11 tries, while the Burgundy and Blue hit 12-of-14.

"The second half was a completely different story," Herenda continued. "We fought and clawed and were right there but we just came up one big play short. That would have been our third straight road win but now we are home for three straight. This conference is so balanced and so competitive and tonight showed just that."
 
A 3-pointer by Trey Tennyson six minutes into play provided the hosts with their first double-digit lead of the contest 17-7. The Blue Devils started the night 9-of-10 from the field and eventually established an 18-point lead with 7:11 to play in the stanza.
 
The Knights fought back and cut the deficit down to 10 on a 3-pointer by Powell before the Blue Devils answered and carried a 47-34 lead into the break. Although the Knights hit 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from deep, they were unable to match the home team's first-half output.
 
The Blue Devils made 67.9 percent overall and made 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) from behind the arc. Malone-Key paced the Knights with 11 first-half points, while Bishop scored seven.
 
Despite trailing by as many as 16 points in the second half, the Knights chipped away and closed all the way to within two points after a pair of free throws by Powell, 74-72, with 45 seconds to go.
 
A blocked shot by Bishop on the ensuing possession gave the Knights their first chance to tie but they were unable to convert. After Krishan made two free throws to extend the Blue Devils' lead back to four, Powell drained a 3-pointer, however, it came with just 0.6 remaining and the hosts were able to hang on.
 
The Knights return home for their next three contests beginning this Friday, February 21 at 8:00 p.m. against LIU. The Sharks currently sit one game ahead of FDU in the NEC standings.