HACKENSACK, N.J. - A sharp-shooting Fairfield squad took down the Knights by a final score of 92-69 on Thursday night. The game marked the last game of the calendar year at Stratis Arena for FDU (6-7, 0-0 NEC), who now sits at 3-2 in games on their home floor this season.
FDU's only lead of the night came just over three minutes in when back-to-back buckets from
Sean Moore and
Joe Munden Jr. put the Knights ahead 6-5.
Ignited by eight three-point field goals, Fairfield would close the half on a 51-20 run and led 56-26 at the break.
The Knights struggled out of the gate from beyond the arc as they were able to connect on just one triple on 12 attempts in the games's first twenty-minutes. They would eventually heat up, knocking down 4-9 from deep in the second-half.
Putting together his sixth double-figure scoring performance of the season,
Jo'el Emanuel finished with a team-high 18 points on the night. The forward shot 8-12 from the field, collected two boards, and recorded a steal and a block.
The Stags' lead grew to as many as 32 in the opening stages of the second half. Over the next few minutes, the Knights quickly managed a 16-4 spurt, capped off by a
Terrence Brown three, which cut the deficit to twenty at 64-44. This would be as close as FDU would get as Fairfield closed-out their 23-point road victory.
"We need a lot more focus on some of the scouting report stuff and get back to who we are supposed to be," said head coach
Jack Castleberry after the game.
Fairfield's reserves contributed 31 points off the bench in the win and the Stags were able to hold the Knights' fast-paced transition offense to just three fastbreak points.
In their final tune-up before NEC play commences, FDU will travel to No. 13 Illinois on Dec. 29. The Knights and Fighting Illini will tip-off at 8 p.m. CT/9 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.
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Bogota Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor for the 2023-24 FDU men's basketball season.
