Knights of Columbus! FDU Shocks the World, Takes Down #1 Purdue in NCAA Tournament First Round - Northeast Conference Skip To Main Content
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Knights of Columbus! FDU Shocks the World, Takes Down #1 Purdue in NCAA Tournament First Round

3/17/2023


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Columbus, OH — FDU did the unthinkable on Friday night in a true battle between David vs. Goliath.

Facing a giant in No. 1 Purdue, the undersized Knights made NCAA history in Columbus, as they became just the second No. 16 seed to knock off a top seed. The only other team to accomplish the feat was UMBC, which shocked No. 1 Virginia back in 2018. 

In addition, the Knights are the first Northeast Conference (NEC) team to win an NCAA Tournament game in the Round of 64. Two days earlier, FDU (21-15) knocked off Texas Southern in the First Four.

FDU is now 3-6 in the NCAA Tournament, including a win over Prairie View A&M in the 2019 First Four.

62038Sean Moore was sensational for the Knights, making a number of key plays while scoring a career-high 19 points and leading a resilient defensive effort by FDU.

FDU held the 7-foot-4 Zach Edey — the Boilermakers' top-scorer and national Player of the Year candidate — to just one field goal over the final nine minutes of the game. 

He finished with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and added 15 rebounds. The remainder of Purdue's roster went 12-of-42 from the floor.

With the Knights nursing a 58-56 lead with just over a minute remaining, Moore splashed a triple from the top of tthe key that will forever have a place in FDU folklore.

With the lead at five, Purdue (29-6) responded with a pair of free throws with 55 seconds on the clock to make it 61-58 in favor of FDU.

The Boilermakers had a chance to tie after Edey blocked Grant Singleton's layup attempt, but Moore blocked a Braden Smith layup attempt and Loyer Fletcher misfired on a corner three. FDU's Demetre Roberts came down with the board, then iced the win with a pair of free throws with eight seconds to play.

Roberts finshed with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Cam Tweedy added 10 points off the bench on 5-6 shooting.

FDU limited Purdue to 35.8 percent shooting from the floor and a 5-26 (.296) mark from beyond the arc.

With much being made about the size disparity between the two schools, Purdue did enjoy a 42-33 edge on the boards, but FDU managed 11 offensive rebounds that resulted in 11 second chance points.

The Knights only turned the ball over nine times, compared to 16 for Purdue, and managed 15 points off TOs, compared to just five for the Boilermakers.

The Knights now advance to the Round of 32 to face No. 9 FAU on Sunday at 7:45 pm on tr