NEWARK, N.J. - FDU men's basketball (5-5, 0-0 NEC) overcame a seven-point halftime deficit Saturday following a stellar performance defensively in the final 20 minutes as the Knights edged past NJIT 71-68 at the Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center. The win snapped a four-game skid for FDU.
The Knights led for just 38 seconds in the opening period which featured 10 lead changes and nine ties. Game-leading scorer
Joe Munden Jr. (Harlem, N.Y./Monsignor Scanlan) ended the first with 12 points, later finishing with 19, a new season best for the senior. FDU turned the ball over eight times, resulting in 24 points off turnovers for the home Highlanders.
In the second half, FDU came out of the gate with six points in the first two and a half minutes fueled by Munden Jr. and graduate student
Heru Bligen (Glenn Dale, Md./St. Andrew's Episcopal). Bligen would later hit a pair of free throws with under three seconds to play in regulation to seal the win for the Burgundy and Blue.
FDU last trailed the game at the 32-second mark when NJIT's Mekhi Gray's dunk put the Highlanders up 68-67 on their home hardwood. The Highlanders led by as many as 12 points in the game with their largest advantage coming with 5:34 to play in the first.
The Knights held NJIT to 28.6 percent from the floor in the second half and only 22 points.
"Any time you can win on the road, it's a good win," said first-year head coach
Jack Castleberry following the triumph. "I felt good about the way we won. There's certainly a lot we can learn from, there's no doubt about it, but we were able to lock down in the second half and impose ourselves on the opponent. We defended at a high level and that was the difference between winning and losing tonight."
Munden Jr. finished his outing shooting 50 percent from the field (6-12) and behind the arc (3-6). The four-year Knight went 4-4 from the charity stripe and nabbed two rebounds while recording an assist and a trio of steals.
Sophomore forward
Jo'el Emanuel (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) bounced back from a rough outing Thursday at Fordham to post 14 points, including the game-winning layup. He dished a team-leading four dimes against just one turnover.
FDU men's basketball concludes their road trip on Friday, Dec. 8 at Manhattan in Riverdale, N.Y. when the Knights visit Draddy Gymnasium at 7 p.m. live on ESPN+.
- Neither team had a lead larger than three points in the final 16:50 of play
- Munden Jr.'s three steals ties the Knights' single-game high this season
- FDU's 71 points were their fewest in a win this season while NJIT's 68 points were the fewest posted by a Division I opponent in 2023-24
- Terrence Brown's four rebounds tied his career best (11/10/23 vs. Penn State Schuylkill)
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Bogota Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor for the 2023-24 FDU men's basketball season.
