NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team led by eight points at the half but was unable to hold off Merrimack, falling 76-71 on Friday afternoon.
Senior guard
Jahlil Jenkins paced the Knights (2-8, 1-3 NEC) with 19 points and sophomore guard
Brandon Rush scored 16 on 6-of-8 shooting in the loss.
Merrimack forward Jordan Minor led all scorers with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Mikey Watkins scored 18 with six rebounds and six assists.
Coach Herenda's Postgame (Video)
How it Happened
- After trailing by two early on, the Knights took the lead on a layup by Daniel Rodriguez and proceeded to lead for the remainder of the half.
- The Knights extended their lead to eight, 24-16, after Rush connected with a top-of-the-key three-pointer with 8:23 to play in the half.
- The eight-point advantage carried over into the break as the Burgundy and Blue led 40-32 at the break.
- Rush connected on all four of his shots from the field including 3-of-3 from behind the arc and led all scorers with 11 first-half points.
- The Knights shot 53.6 percent in the half overall and made 5-of-8 from long range.
- After the Warriors trimmed the deficit to one, the Knights rebuilt the lead to seven on a three-pointer by Powell with 11:06 to play in regulation.
- The Warriors refused to go away and managed to erase the Knights' lead over the next four minutes. They tied when Jordan McKoy hit all three of his free throws with 7:24 to go.
- The teams each endured a scoreless stretch before the Warriors took a 66-64 lead on a layup by Watkins with two minutes to play in regulation.
- Watkins' bucket provided the Warriors with their first lead since the four-minute mark of the contest.
- The Knights were unable to get back on track over the final minutes as the Warriors took care of business at the free-throw line and held on for the win.
Inside the Box Score
- Friday's contest featured the Knights' seventh different starting lineup in 10 games this season.
- Freshman guard Joe Munden Jr. made his first career start on Friday and finished with a career-best seven rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
- The Knights' lost for just the third time in the past three seasons when leading with five minutes to go and are now 28-3 in those contests.
- In addition to his 10 points, Baker blocked two shots in a game for the first time in his career.
- After shooting nearly 54 percent in the opening half, the Knights shot 34.5 percent over the final 20 minutes.
- Each team turned the ball over 14 times in the contest, while the Knights held a 35-34 edge on the glass.
Up Next
The Knights travel to Loretto, Pa. to play a two-game series with Saint Francis U on January 26-27.
