HACKENSACK, N.J. - Led by junior Brandon Rush's 27 points, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team cruised to a 86-61 victory over Rutgers-Newark in a preseason exhibition on Thursday evening.

How it Happened 

• Greg Herenda's side started all newcomers in freshmen Ray Ford Jr., Anquan Hill, Antoine Jacks and Ibrahim Wattara, along with recent addition sophomore Sébastien Lamaute.
• FDU opened the game on a 5-2 run driven by Jacks and Lamaute.
• Defensively, the Burgundy and Blue logged five blocks.
• The game was FDU's from nearly the jump in that the Knights held the lead for 37:37 of the 40 minutes of competition at Stratis Arena.

Inside the Box Score 

• FDU logged 65 bench points in the contest with 10 student-athletes checking into the game in addition to the five first half starters.
• Walk-on freshman Robby Phillips logged his first bucket in the Burgundy and Blue late in the second half and also picked up an offensive rebound.
• Jacks recorded four steals in the game, also adding a team-leading six assists.

Coach Herenda's Thoughts

"I'll tell you one thing, it was just awesome to see our students, family and fans inside the Rothman [Center] and our players responded. I cannot tell you how much we missed that juice last."

"I love the energy that the freshmen brought and the experience that our upperclassmen showed. Now it's onto non-conference play and we are excited that it's finally here. I am hopeful that our FDU family will find their way to the Prudential Center on Wednesday [11/10]."

What's Next

As Herenda mentioned, the Knights open non-conference play in the regular season with a trip to Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. to face Seton Hall on Wednesday, November 10, at 7 p.m. live on FS1. FDU will be hosting a "pregame huddle" reception at "The Rock" before the season opener. Please click here for registration and additional information.

The 2021-22 men's basketball season is presented by Bogota Savings Bank.