Hammond, Knights Roll Past Mount, 81-61
Senior forward pours in career-high 25, Felton posts double-double.  

Box Score/Play-by-Play

Hackensack, NJ – Senior forward Matt Hammond (Burlington, N.J.) scored a career-high 25 points and blocked five shots to help lead the Fairleigh Dickinson University (2-13, 2-4 NEC) men’s basketball team past visiting Mount St. Mary’s (1-12, 0-6 NEC) by a score of 81-61.  Hammond was near perfect, hitting 9-of-10 from the field and 6-of-7 at the free throw line.  Senior James Felton (Jersey City, N.J.) notched his second straight double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds for Fairleigh Dickinson.  Jamion Christian (Quinton, Va.) led the Mount with 21 points.

            In the early going the Mount turned an eight-point deficit into a 26-25 lead with 7:02 left in the first frame.  After a media timeout, the Knights responded by closing out the frame with a 19-5 run, sparked by eight points from Hammond. They went into the break with a 44-31 advantage and never trailed again.

            Hammond wasn’t the only Knight to light it up.  As a team Fairleigh Dickinson shot 61.4 percent (27-for-44) from the field, the second time in three games they eclipsed 60 percent, and held the Mount to just 33.8 percent (22-for-65).

The Mount kept the contest close, cutting the Knights’ lead to just four at 44-40 with 16:24 to go after opening up the second half by scoring the first nine points, seven of them coming from Christian, who hit on 8-of-12 for the game.  The sharp-shooting Knights quickly seized control with a 21-9 burst over the next 11:50 and would eventually build their lead to as many as 22.  Highlighting the closing run was Felton with six points and Hammond with eight more.

“The coaches are always asking about who wants to be a leader,” said Hammond who has averaged close to 23 points with a 75 percent field goal percentage over the Knights’ last three games. “I felt I needed to step up.  When the ball is in my hands I feel comfortable.  I want the ball.”

“Matt had a great game,” said Knights’ head coach Tom Green.  “He’s working real hard and it’s paying off.”

The Knights will return to action again on Wednesday, January 16^th when they travel to Sacred Heart, a team they fell to in the longest game in NEC history back on December 1^st  at the Rothman Center, 133-130 in four overtimes.

“When I see Dave Bike (head coach of Sacred Heart) I’m going to tell him that I’m going home after regulation this time,” joked Green when asked if he expects another marathon.