Wagner Takes Fairleigh Dickinson 78-69, in NEC Opener
Matt Hammond posts double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds for Knights.

Box Score/Play-by-Play

Teaneck, N.J. – Senior forward Matt Hammond (Burlington, N.J.) posted a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Fairleigh Dickinson University men’s basketball team fell to Wagner, 78-69, in both teams’ Northeast Conference (NEC) opener.  The Knights dropped to 0-6 overall, while the Seahawks improved to 2-2.  Jermaine Hall (Dublin, Ga.) registered his own double-double for Wagner, leading all players with game-highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Wagner raced out to an early 10-0 lead, behind four points each from Hall and Dedrick Dye (Clinton, Tenn.), who finished the contest with 11 points. Hammond finally broke the spell with a layup at the 15:09 mark.  The Seahawks built their first half lead to 13 at 17-4, with 12:35 remaining before the Knights went on a 14-0 burst of their own to take an 18-17 lead at the 8:34 mark.

The Knights’ advantage lasted just 20 seconds as the Seahawks’ Cory Underwood (E. Elmhurst, N.Y.) sank a jumper to give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish again.  Wagner stretched the margin to as many as 13 again in the second frame.  Fairleigh Dickinson cut the deficit to just six (66-60) with 5:36 left in the game on a jumper by T.J. Leis (Philadelphia, Pa.), but would pull no closer.

Hall finished the game 11-of-14 from the field and 3-for-4 at the free throw line.  Hammond was equally impressive for the Knights, connecting on 9-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 at the charity stripe.  He also added three blocks and three steals.  Iman Mattox (Hayward, Calif.) chipped in 17 points on 7-of-12 from the field for the Knights and Richard Chavez (Wichita, Kan.) dished out eight assists.

“We’re going to get some Ws this year,” said Knights’ head coach Tom Green.  “We’ve just got to play a lot smarter.”

The Knights return to action again on Saturday, December 1^st, when they host Sacred Heart in another NEC match-up at 7:00 p.m.