Prairie View A & M loses in First Four vs. Four. Fairleigh Dickinson



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DAYTON, Ohio – Eleven months ago, Greg Herenda, a Fairleigh Dickinson coach, had severe blood clots that could put his life at risk. Tuesday night, he danced on the field and hugged his players after securing the first win in an NCAA tournament in the school's history.

Senior guard Darnell Edge scored 33 points, the highest of his career, and Jahlil Jenkins had 20 of 22 points in the second half.

"It's overwhelming," said Herenda, in her sixth season at the Hackensack School in New Jersey. "When you've been training for 35 years and bringing a team to an NCAA tournament and a team that, when I came here six years ago, we had nothing, and to build it, and then it's here, and it's so sad that every coach can not experience that. "

Fairleigh Dickinson (21-13), who won the automatic tournament by winning the Northeast Conference, won his first game of the NCAA tournament in six tries. The Knights will play against Gonzaga, the No. 1 seed in the Western Region, on Thursday in Salt Lake City.

Prairie View (22-13), who were also looking to win their first tournament, accumulated a 13-point lead in both halves, but Fairleigh Dickinson took control in the second half after Edge's shot and Jenkins.

"Jahlil Jenkins has the biggest heart of Ohio right now," said Herenda. "In second year, he resumed the game in the second half."

A three-pointer from Gary Blackston brought Prairie View back to two points, 78-76, but a Mike Holloway Jr. rug and a pair of Edge free throws with 17 seconds left sealed for Fairleigh Dickinson .

Blackston led the Panthers with 26 points and Devonte Patterson was 17.

"After the coach lived last year, I remember our training and he always tells us that he just wanted to be there with us," Edge said. "Everything he had thought about during his stay at the hospital, was us, so we gathered and it was a big win for us, for our program."

POOR START, LARGE FINISH

Prairie View threatened to escape early with a 14-0 run in the first half as Fairleigh Dickinson made nine turnovers in the first 10 minutes to fall into a 19-6 hole. The Knights flaked, with Edge hitting a 3-pointer and a lay-up at the last minute of the half to reduce the deficit to 41-34 in the intermission.

The Knights dropped again by 13 at the beginning of the second, but returned methodically.

"That might have been the case, but I guess the best team played late and managed to win," said Prairie View coach Byron Smith.

SWEET REDEMPTION

Fairleigh Dickinson returned to the first four years three years after his first trip to Dayton. It did not go well this time.

The Knights were beaten by the Gulf Coast of Florida by 31 points.

"It was a great feeling for me to be here three years ago, lose more than 30 points, then come back this year and be able to win," Edge said. "It's a good feeling – it's the story."

GREAT IMAGE

Prairie View: The only previous appearance in the Panthers tournament was 21 years ago. They had high hopes after winning the regular season and the Southwestern Athletics Conference tournament, placing 21-2 to end the season.

FOLLOWING

Prairie View: The season ends.

Copyright © 2019 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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