American Holds Off Knights, 55-48
Whitaker nets 16 points for Fairleigh.  

Box Score

Washington, D.C. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University men’s basketball team rallied from a 16-point deficit tonight, but it wasn't enough as American held on for a 55-48 win over the Knights.  Fairleigh Dickinson fell to 0-4 on the year, while the Eagles improved to 2-1.  Marcus Whitaker netted 16 points and collected three steals for Fairleigh Dickinson.  Keith Gray posted a double-double for American with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

A sloppy first half, in which the Knights shot just 26.3% from the field, and American only 34.6%, resulted in a 31-17 lead for the Eagles at the break.  American built its lead to as many as 16 points behind the play of Gray and Glenn Stokes who finished with 13 points on the day.

The Knights mounted a comeback and cut the deficit to three on two different occasions by holding American without a field goal for the final six minutes of the game, but the Eagles were able to fend off the rally by hitting 13-of-13 free throws down the stretch.

Both teams hit just 14-for-45 (31.1%) from the field for the game.  American committed 24 turnovers, while Fairleigh Dickinson totaled 19.

Brandon Edwards added 11 points and six rebounds for the Knights, while Iman Mattox had four steals to go along with five points.

The Knights will return to action on Monday, November 26th, in their home opener as they host Loyola College (Md.) at 7:00 p.m. on "Family Night."