Knights fall to Retrievers, 81-70
Felton nets 16, Peterson and Mattox chip in 11 each.  

Box Score

Baltimore, Md. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University men’s basketball team dropped an 81-70, decision at the hands of host UMBC on Monday at the RAC Arena in Baltimore, Md.  James Felton paced the Knights with 16 points and five rebounds.  Mensah Peterson and Iman Mattox each pitched in 11 points and three boards.  Fairleigh Dickinson fell to 3-17 overall and 3-8 in NEC play, while the Retrievers improved to 11-7 and 7-4 in the NEC.

            UMBC opened a 29-12 lead with 3:57 to go in the first frame.  Will McClurkin scored eight of his 14 points during that stretch for the Retrievers. Fairleigh Dickinson managed to cut the deficit to 38-28 at the break behind eight points from Mattox and six from Felton.

            The Retrievers built their lead back to 18 points at 69-51 with 5:40 remaining when the Knights rallied with an 19-8 run, highlighted by seven points from Peterson.  That cut the deficit to 77-70 with 23 seconds remaining, but the Knights ran out of time as UMBC hit four straight free throws to close it out.

            Peterson connected on 5-of-6 from the field and 1-for-1 at the free throw line.  Mattox went 4-for-5 on field goal attempts, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc.

            The Knights return to action on Saturday, February 2^nd, when they host St. Francis (NY) at noon.  That game will be televised live on MSG TV.