PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Playing in the City of Brotherly Love for their second-consecutive game in non-conference action, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team (0-8, 0-0 NEC) fell to La Salle (4-4, 0-0 A-10), 81-55, Tuesday at Tom Gola Arena inside the Trumark Financial Center.

How it Happened 

• After only scoring nine points against the Drexel Dragons last week (12/2), junior Brandon Rush dropped 19 points in 24 minutes of action in the matchup vs. La Salle. Rush finished on a 3-for-4 spree from the field in his final four attempts of the game.
• Down by six early on, FDU would battle back and boast a 6-0 scoring run coming out of the first media timeout of the game to get within striking distance.
• Freshman Oscar Berry earned his first career start and made his presence felt throughout the arena. The Melbourne, Australia native put up eight points, a team-leading four rebounds and one steal in a Knights' best 27 minutes.

Inside the Box Score 

• 38 of FDU's points came in the paint, compared to La Salle's 26.
• The Burgundy and Blue shot .667 from the free throw stripe in the first half of play, going 4-for-6.
• Head Coach Greg Herenda made his return to the sideline after missing the Knights' previous three contests due to a non-COVID related illness.

Coach Herenda's Thoughts

"We ran into a very explosive team tonight in La Salle in their own building and could never really stop them. They have a lot of options and really were playing on all cylinders tonight.On the other end of the floor, we just ran out of gas in the second half and were never able to get back in the game. Now we are on to exams which are so important and also need to get some rest. This team has been playing their hearts out and we really could use some time to get healthy and get some much-needed rest moving forward."

What's Next

Herenda's Knights will finally hit the court at Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center for their home opener on Wednesday, December 15, at 7 p.m. as the Burgundy and Blue host Fairfield live on NEC Front Row. Tickets are on sale now by visiting FDUKnights.com/Tickets.

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