HACKENSACK, N.J. - In one of the most closely-fought battles of the season for the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team (1-13, 2-5 NEC), the squad fell to St. Francis Brooklyn 80-78 in FDU's second home of the game. 

How it Happened 

• Truly a battle from the opening tip, neither team had more than a 11-point at any time. Both teams were scoreless through the first 1:47 of the contest with a combined five missed shots between the two sides before the Terriers opened up the scoring bonanza.
• Junior Brandon Rush got back to his old ways posting 18 points, six rebounds, an assist and steal in 29 minutes on the floor for head coach Greg Herenda.
• At the break, FDU trailed by just a point in a back-and-forth bout that saw eight lead changes and the score tied 12 different times.
• Freshman Oscar Berry brought the thunder from deep, knocking down each of his triples attempted shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from distance. The Melbourne, Australia native finished with nine points, four assists, two rebounds and a block.
• Fellow newcomer Anquan Hill added a team (and personal) season high of seven assists for the Burgundy and Blue. The Philly product also contributed 17 points and six rebounds (tied with Rush for the team-high).

Inside the Box Score 

• FDU shot .526 from distance as a team
• Sophomore John Square Jr. had himself a game with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting while also logging a team-high three blocks. Sticking with the number three "Mikey" added in three rebounds and three assists.

Coach Herenda's Thoughts

"That's a tough one to swallow but we showed a lot of resolve by coming back late from a nine-10 point deficit and taking the lead; but closing out a game is something that this group needs to learn how to do. Give St. Francis credit, they made the big shots and the big stops when they needed to and that is the difference in tight conference games. I just love the way Anquan and Oscar are playing as freshmen and to have 22 assists in one game in this league showed that we are sharing the ball. We must do a better job rebounding and playing better one on one defense against some of the better players in this conference. Now we have a quick turnaround and another really good opponent in LIU on Sunday night. We just have to keep grinding and find a way to make the plays necessary to finish games."

What's Next

The Knights' homestand continues on Sunday, January 23, with the second of four consecutive games at Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center when FDU welcomes LIU in a Northeast Conference showdown at 7 p.m. live on NEC Front Row. Fans in attendance will receive a charger pack giveaway. Tickets are on-sale now at FDUKnights.com/Tickets.

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