HACKENSACK, N.J. - Sophomore forward
Jo'el Emanuel kept the highlight reel plays coming as the Suffern, N.Y. product lifted the FDU men's basketball team (7-11, 1-2 NEC) to its first Northeast Conference victory of the season, snapping a six-game skid, as the Knights bested Stonehill (2-16, 0-3 NEC) 81-74 Saturday inside Stratis Arena. Emanuel posted 29 points on 11 shots, the game-high for FDU this season.
In a tale of two halves, FDU opened the first 20 minutes on fire shooting nearly 40 percent from the field fueled by early double-digit scorers Emanuel (11) and freshman guard
Terrence Brown (Minneapolis, Minn./Columbia Heights) (10). The Knights' press was pristine, turning Stonehill over 16 times in the opening period for 22 points of turnovers in the first half.
A 17-point lead at the break would slip away from
Jack Castleberry's team as the Skyhawks, a second-year member of the NEC, carried over an unanswered scoring run into the second period -- a 21-0 sprint -- cutting the 17-point deficit to four. Max Zegarowski and Chas Stinson had six points each for Stonehill during the run as the Skyhawks shot a combined 7-of-9 from the field over more than six and a half minutes.
Emanuel would have FDU's first field goal of the second half, driving through traffic for the layup at the 15-minute mark to put FDU up four after the deficit was cut again to two.
FDU would turn the ball over 15 times in the second half for 22 Skyhawk points. Stonehill's largest lead of the second half was four with six minutes and change remaining in regulation.
With seconds remaining Emanuel hit one-of-two free throws to give FDU a 64-62 edge but with 50 seconds remaining, a foul on the other end was whistled against FDU and Tony Felder hit both from the charity stripe to tie the game at 64. A three-point miss by FDU forced overtime, the Knights' first overtime game at home since Feb. 24, 2022 against Central Connecticut, also an FDU win.
In the extra period Emanuel would score nine while Stonehill would only get to within two as seven-straight points from sophomore
Brayden Reynolds (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and Emanuel to ice the Knights' first win since December 8 at Manhattan.
The Knights have one day off before facing Saint Francis U in Loretto, Pa. at DeGol Arena on Monday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. ET on NEC Front Row as part of the NEC's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day showcase.
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Bogota Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor for the 2023-24 FDU men's basketball season.
- Emanuel's 29 points eclipsed junior forward Ansley Almonor's (Spring Valley, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional [Mont.]) 27 set against Columbia on Dec. 11
- Reynolds came up in big spots with two steals that resulted in FDU points, plus three assists
- Senior forward Sean Moore (Columbus, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, a career best in both free throws made and tries
