FDU Men's Basketball Edges SFU 86-82 in OT

The Fairleigh Dickinson University’s FDU) men’s basketball team earned an 86-82 overtime victory against Saint Francis University (SFU) of Loretto, Pa. on Thursday, Jan. 28 at Stratis Arena. Freshman Darnell Edge came off the bench to spark the Knights (10-10, 6-3 NEC) with 20 points as sophomore Marques Townes sealed the win by blocking SFU’s final shot of the game.

“We were very fortunate to walk out of here with a win tonight. We took a ton of punches from Saint Francis, but we stayed on our feet and kept fighting,” head coach Greg Herenda said after the game. “Marques’s blocked shot at the end of the game was obviously huge, but tonight was about Darnell Edge. He was spectacular on both sides of the ball. When [Stephan Jiggets] went down, [Edge] stepped up big time.”

Edge scored 18 of his career-high 20 points in the second half of the game. He finished the game seven of 11 shooting, including four of seven from beyond the arc. SFU falls to 9-11 and 5-4 in the Northeastern Conference (NEC) with the loss.

Edge was one of six FDU players to score in double figures in the contest. He was joined by sophomore Darian Anderson, sophomore Earl Potts Jr., sophomore Stephan Jiggetts, freshman Mike Holloway and Townes.

FDU led 37-36 at halftime, and the teams played a back-and-forth second half that featured 13 lead changes, and the score tied 10 times.

Potts connected on a jump shot with less than two minutes remaining in regulation to tie the score at 76-76. Neither team scored further, sending the game into overtime.

SFU led once in overtime, but the score was tied four times with Anderson putting FDU’s Knights in front through a jump shot with 27 seconds left to play.

Townes protected the 84-82 lead on the ensuing possession by blocking the shot of SFU’s Ronnie Drinnon with five seconds remaining in overtime. Potts secured the rebound and, after a foul, Anderson hit two free throws to seal the victory.

“Our crowd was immense as well,” Herenda added. “The students, especially the student-athletes, got the building going, and that helped us a great deal. They were awesome, and I cannot thank them enough.”

Potts finished with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. He also had five steals.

The Knights shot 52.4 percent (33-63) for the game and connected at a 36 percent (9 of 25) clip from long range. SFU was also accomplished a 50.8-percent (30 of 59) mark from the field and a 42.1-percent (8 of 19 mark from long distance. Both teams also shot more than 70 percent at the free-throw line.

SFU held a 34-29 advantage on the boards, but FDU committed 11 turnovers while forcing SFU into 17.

Edge’s previous high for points in a game was 10, which he set in the comeback victory over LIU Brooklyn on Thursday, Jan. 21.

Potts’s 12 rebounds are a new career high, and the double-double is his third this season. Anderson also had a team high of five assists.

The FDU Knights return to action Saturday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. against LIU Brooklyn. The game is the first of four consecutive travel games for the Knights. Each game can be seen live on the NEC Front Row website.