Fairleigh Dickinson stuns top seed Purdue in March Madness – KGET 17

from: TOM WITHERS, Associated Press

Published: March 17, 2023 / 6:10 PM PDT

Updated: March 17, 2023 / 6:10 PM PDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Fairleigh Dickinson became the second 16th seed in history to win the NCAA Tournament, stunning top-seeded Purdue 63-58 behind 19 points from Sean Moore and a relentless, high-strung defense on Friday night.

The shortest team in the tournament, the Knights (21-15) showed no fear in swarming 7-foot-4 All-America center Zach Edey from the start. The FDU players were faster and more composed than the Big Ten champion Boilermakers (29-6).

Five years ago, UMBC showed the way for the little guys by defeating Virginia in the first 16-to-1 victory after numerous close calls over the years. However, no. 16 had a 1-150 record before FDU’s upset.

Fairleigh Dickinson didn’t even win the Northeast Conference Tournament, falling by one point in the title game to Merrimack, which was ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to NCAA rules barring it from the postseason as it still completes its four-year transition from Division II .

FDU held Purdue scoreless for more than 5 1/2 minutes down the stretch and moved within five on a 3-pointer by Moore with 1:03 left. The Knights held on from there, becoming the second straight double-digit seed to send the Boilermakers home. Purdue was a 3 seed when it lost to 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the Sweet 16 last year.

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