RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Fresh off a three-point win at NJIT on Saturday (Dec. 2), FDU men's basketball (5-5, 0-0 NEC) heads to Manhattan (4-4, 1-1 MAAC) in the sixth of six-straight road games for the Burgundy and Blue on Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ from Draddy Gymnasium in Riverdale, N.Y.
This is the third matchup in as many seasons between the Knights and Jaspers and marks the second of the season between FDU and a member of the MAAC.
After falling in four consecutive games away from Stratis Arena, FDU men's basketball got back on track with a come-from-behind win last week as the Knights rung in December with a 71-68 victory over the NJIT Highlanders in Newark, N.J. 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. FDU's stellar second half defense helped erase a seven-point halftime deficit.
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.
Neither side led by more than three points in the final 16:50 of the second half.
Sophomore forward
Jo'el Emanuel (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) bounced back from a rough outing at Fordham on Nov. 30 to post 14 points, including the game-winning layup. He dished a team-leading four dimes against just one turnover.
Having already started conference play, Manhattan enters Friday's tilt having split the first two MAAC games of the campaign, defeating former Northeast Conference member Mount St. Mary's at home and falling to Marist on the road. The Jaspers, like the Knights, are unbeaten on their home hardwood this season. Led by first-year head coach John Gallagher (formerly of Hartford), Manhattan is led in scoring by Seydou Traore's 11.8 points a game. Manhattan averages 65.0 p.p.g. on just under 41 percent shooting from the field. The Jaspers were selected 11th of 11 MAAC members in the conference preseason poll.
FDU and Manhattan battle Friday for the 27th time. The series, which began on 12/7/55, is led by the Jaspers who own a 17-9 record over the Knights. The two teams met in Hackensack last season, a 77-74 decision in favor of FDU. This is the fourth meeting since 2005 (2-1 Manhattan).
- Move to 2-0 on the season
- ... in December
- against MAAC members
- The first for FDU at Draddy Gymnasium since 12/19/99 (74-70 [OT])
- Friday's game ends a six-game road trip for FDU.
- FDU junior Ansley Almonor is currently second in the NEC in active career scoring with 723 points as a Knight... he trails only Nico Galette's (SHU) 1,069 points.
- Including Friday, the Knights face two MAAC members in the next three games with FDU hosting Fairfield on Thursday, Dec. 21 on the YES Network at 7 p.m. ET at Stratis Arena after playing Columbia before the fall semester final exam break.
Following Friday's battle against Manhattan, FDU returns home for the first time since November 18 on Monday, Dec. 11 to welcome Columbia to Stratis Arena as the Knights celebrate Korean Heritage Night with the first 250 fans receiving a free Knights drink koozie. The game will air on NEC Front Row and the NEC on the Run app. Tickets are on-sale now at
FDUKnights.com/Tickets.
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Bogota Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor for the 2023-24 FDU men's basketball season.
