ERIE, Pa. – FDU (4-10, 1-0) kicked off NEC play with a 74-67 victory at Mercyhurst (7-6, 0-1) on Friday night.
Joey Niesman produced the last punch in a game that featured ten lead changes.
- Eric Parnell (6-12 FG) matched a career-high with 19 points
- All 19 of his points came in the second half
- He converted five triples for the second time in as many games
- He is leading FDU with 43 made threes on the season
- With 16 points and 12 rebounds, Taeshaud Jackson produced his second double-double of the season
- Jackson went 6-12 from the field and made all four of his free throw attempts
- The forward was a +19 on the floor in the win
- Jackson now has five games this year with double-digit rebounds
Back-to-back layups from
Cyril Martynov gave FDU a 4-0 lead out of the gate. On the next possession,
Joey Niesman drove the lane for another layup that made it 6-0 Knights. Mercyhurst then settled in with six of the next seven points.
After a dry spell midway through the first half, FDU found themselves trailing 22-13. In search of momentum, FDU went back to the interior. Jackson drove the baseline for two contested layups after
Arthur Cox snapped the scoring drought with a floater. After
David Jevtic drained a three, Elijah Godbolt converted a fast-break layup to tie the game at 24-24. This completed an 11-2 scoring outburst that saw eight points in the paint.
Jackson scored the last four FDU points of the half, but the Lakers closed out the first 20 minutes with a 32-28 lead.
Eric Parnell arrived in the second half. With FDU trailing 37-33, the Knights' resident sniper cashed in back-to-back threes. FDU held their first lead since it was 11-8.
FDU's guards accounted for the next 11 Knights' points.
Raysean Johnson contributed five, Niesman tallied four, and Parnell popped in a sweet mid-range floater. The Knights led 50-45 with just over 12 minutes remaining,
A technical foul and flagrant foul in the span of two minutes halted FDU's rhythm. Mercyhurst converted six-straight free throws to regain the lead. They extended their lead to six with just over eight minutes left in regulation.
Needing answers, FDU again turned to Parnell. He connected on triples on back-to-back possessions to knot the game at 58-58. On their ensuing possession, Martynov recorded a layup to complete an 8-0 FDU run that gave them a 60-58 lead.
While Parnell pulled the Knights back into the game, Niesman played the role of closer. Trailing 64-63 with 3:25 left, Niesman drilled his first triple of the night. This proved to be the last lead change of the game. After a Mercyhurst free throw made it 66-65, Niesman navigated to the elbow and knocked down a contested fadeaway to create separation heading into the game's final minute.
FDU made their last six free throws to seal the victory.
- Joey Niesman (5-7 FG) finished with 16 points
- Arthur Cox logged over 14 minutes of action in his return to the floor
- The Knights shot 62.5% in the second half and finished at 56.3% from the floor
- The Knights outrebounded Mercyhurst 31-22
- FDU recorded 34 points in the paint
- From the line, the Knights went 12-16
- Led by Parnell, FDU shot 47.1% from deep
FDU completes their Pennsylvania swing at Saint Francis U this Sunday, January 4. Fans can watch the game on NEC Front Row at 4 p.m.
Connect with the Knights on Instagram and X @FDUKnightsMBB
Bogota Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor of FDU Men's Basketball
