Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Long Island game delayed due to FDU players being stuck in elevator

Fairleigh Dickinson and Long Island University’s matchup got off to a late start on Thursday evening. Ahead of the game, the FDU players got stuck in an elevator on the way from the locker room to the court, per Fox Sports reporter John Fanta.

Firemen had to help rescue the FDU players from the elevator, pushing back the game’s starting time nearly half an hour. In an impromptu interview posted by Coleman Crawley, one of the FDU players had one word to describe the nightmarish scenario.

“Hot,” he said with a smile.

Breaking: Tonight’s game between Fairleigh Dickinson and Long Island University at LIU is in a delay because FDU players are stuck in an elevator coming from the locker room to the court. Firemen are on the scene trying to get FDU players out of the elevator now: pic.twitter.com/cujbz2alFy

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) February 16, 2024

Another way Fairleigh Dickinson drew attention

Thursday night isn’t the only time in recent history FDU has captured the nation’s attention. Last March, the Knights knocked off No. 1 seed Purdue, pulling off just the second 16-over-1 upset in NCAA history.

The team’s path to the NCAA tournament was fascinating. Fairleigh Dickinson received the nod because it made the NEC title game and fell to Merrimack, which was ineligible for the tournament as it made the jump from Division II to Division I.

Just to squeeze into the Round of 64, the Knights had to beat Texas Southern in the First Four to win the right to be the No. 16 seed. FDU’s run eventually ended in the second round, falling to Florida Atlantic which made it to the the Final Four.

Likely due to its success in the NCAA Tournament, the program secured an eight-game broadcast agreement with the YES Network this offseason. The deal called for six men’s and two women’s basketball games to air live on the YES Network and the YES App during the upcoming 2023-24 season.

“After our men’s basketball team captivated the nation during March Madness and our women’s basketball program reached the WNIT for the second-straight season, we’re thrilled to seize the moment and highlight our exceptional student-athletes, coaches and institution on a network with the prestige of YES,” FDU athletic director Bradford Hurlbut in a statement.

The deal was historic for FDU, becoming the first school-specific media agreement for the institution. More specifically, the partnership was a major win for its basketball programs, which allowed home non-conference games to be on linear TV this season. The YES Network is the regional sports network for the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty.