STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - FDU men's basketball locked down the five-seed in the upcoming Northeast Conference Championship Saturday as the Knights closed the 2023-24 regular season with a 57-54 win over Wagner to split the season series. FDU finishes the regular season 15-16 overall and 9-7 in the NEC.

FDU was led by senior guard Joe Munden Jr.'s (Harlem, N.Y./Monsignor Scanlan) 23 points, tying his career-high. The four-year Knight posted 23 points against Wagner on Feb. 4, 2023 in Hackensack, N.J. 10 of Munden Jr.'s 23 points came in the first 8:30 of the first half.

Munden Jr. contributed several heroics, including drawing a crucial offensive foul with under 43 seconds to play in the second half and a tremendous chase-down block to give FDU a pair of big-time stops. Munden Jr. finished 9-of-17 from the field, the most field goals he's made in a single game. The Harlem, N.Y. native led FDU with six rebounds –– five on the defensive end.

"Joe [Munden Jr.] played great," said head coach Jack Castleberry. "33 minutes. That guy's got bum knees, bum ankles, bum shoulders, and he's a walking ambulance but the dude plays incredibly hard. I'm really proud of his effort tonight."

Sent to the line for a one-and-one with 1:03 remaining in regulation, senior forward Sean Moore (Columbus, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) hit both ends from the free throw line in what would be the game-winning shots.

"Tons of guys contributed tonight, it doesn't have to be pretty, and I told Fuzz [Sean Moore], at some point in the game he was going to hit a big shot and low and behold, he made big free throws. You never know where it's going to come, early, late, but he did it when it mattered," Castleberry added.

Against a solid defensive team in Wagner, FDU turned the ball over just seven times on the road. The Knights held Wagner to 21.1 percent shooting from behind the arc and turned the Seahawks over 14 times.

The Knights prepare for #4 Le Moyne in the 2024 NEC tournament as the Burgundy and Blue travel to Syracuse, N.Y. for the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. ET. Wednesday's game will air live on NEC Front Row and the NEC on the Run app. The Knights and Dolphins split the 2023-24 regular season series, Le Moyne's first as the newest member of the nine-team Northeast Conference.

Click here for the NEC tournament Championship Headquarters.

Connect with FDU men's basketball on X and Instagram, @FDUKnightsMBB.

Bogota Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor for the 2023-24 FDU men's basketball season
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