Entering their Northeast Conference debut under the tutelage of acclaimed former St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Tobin Anderson, Fairleigh Dickinson came from behind to defeat Merrimack 71-63 last night at Stratis Arena.
Selected by the league’s head coaches as the 2022-23 preseason favorite, Merrimack entered the game 0-12 against D1 opponents. However, according to KenPom, the Warriors completed the 68th most difficult non-conference schedule, rendering their record as not the fairest metric to judge to the team’s ability entering NEC play.
This tilt was arguably the most intriguing game amongst a quartet of conference openers due to the teams’ deeply contrasting styles: with an average height of 6’3 inches, FDU ranks as the shortest team in the nation whose guard-centric roster prioritizes tempo while their defense incorporates a 1-2-1-1 full court press designed to generate turnovers and minimize halfcourt defense situations that would disadvantage their lack of size.
Anchored by 6’8 240 senior forward Jordan Minor in the post, Merrimack generates most of its offense off turnovers (26.0% turnover rate ranks 5th highest in the nation) and also runs a deliberate halfcourt offense off opponents’ made baskets.
The game featured two of the most unique defenses in the conference with FDU’s press and Merrimack’s stretchy 2-3 zone. Early on, FDU’s press opened up cross-court passes for easy inside looks for Jordan Minor (nine points in first thirteen minutes) and a thunderous and-1 dunk from Ziggy Reid late in the first.
Early on, Merrimack’s zone forced FDU to hunt for midrange looks with increasing usage of the wide open baseline for offensive movement which was first and continuously taken advantage of by Ansley Almonor.
The 6’6 219 sophomore finished with the best game of his collegiate career scoring a career high 25 points along with two threes, nine rebounds and two blocks as FDU’s low post anchor on its press defense.
Almonor’s persistent intensity helped keep the Knights afloat when they trailed throughout the first thirty-five minutes of the game before STAC grad transfer Grant Singleton’s cold start thawed with his first field goal, a three, gave FDU their first lead and flipped the momentum to the Knights’ home crowd favor. The second half MVP scored all thirteen of his points in the last twelve minutes of the game.
With starting senior guard Heru Bligen out for his sixth straight game, walk-on freshman Brayden Reyonlds has stepped up in Bilgen’s place and was another Knight who finished the win with a career night.
First entering the game twelve minutes into the first half, Reynolds was immediately a spark off the bench providing toughness, offensive creativity and efficient offense, finishing with eight points, a perfect field goal percentage, three fouls drawn and a block leaving the FDU bench bonkers.
Finishing the game second on the team in +/- differential (+12) and fourth on the team with twenty total minutes, Reynolds’ value was evident based on sitting just eight of the final twenty-eight minutes of the win.
After a New Year’s Eve tuneup against in-state D3 opponent Centenary, the FDU Knights resume NEC play next Thursday when they visit St. Francis (NY).
Merrimack continues their tough opening stretch of conference play on New Year’s Eve when they visit Wagner followed by a Thursday home game against Sacred Heart.
Personally, it was my first time visiting Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center, the homecourt of the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.
Opened in 1987, the Rothman Center is built in Hackensack, NJ, right along the Hackensack River and just across the school’s eastside river campus in Teaneck.
With expansive conical wood ceilings and wide sightlines along the benches, Stratis Arena is an enjoyable experience with warm acoustics rising with the delight of last night’s home crowd.
From the ticket booth, to the security, media and athletics crew, everyone was incredibly warm, friendly and accommodating. Many thanks to FDU for hosting!
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