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HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team (10-17, 6-7 NEC) returns to Northeast Conference action on Monday night when it hosts second-place Wagner (15-11, 9-4 NEC) in a makeup contest inside Stratis Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on NEC Front Row. Both teams will be playing their third game in five days.

Last Time Out
The Knights clinched their first NEC Tournament berth since 2010 on Saturday after rallying to defeat Sacred Heart, 73-66, inside Stratis Arena. FDU is currently in seventh place in the conference standings but is only one game out of fourth place.

After a poor shooting performance over the opening 20 minutes produced a 32-29 halftime deficit, FDU shot 58.3 percent in the second half and used a 12-1 run midway through the final stanza to take its largest lead of the game at 52-42. Senior Mathias Seilund (Dragoer, Denmark/Falkonergaardens Gymnasium) scored the first six points of 10 straight scored by the Knights during the run and finished the game with a team-best 13 points and a game-high three steals.

Senior Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, S.C./Burke) and graduate student Scooter Gillette (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) each tallied 11 points, with Sanders Jr. dishing out a game-high seven assists and Gillette rejecting a game-high three shots to go along with six rebounds. Junior Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) and freshman Matt MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) both netted 10 points, while freshman Mike Owona (Baltimore, Md./The John Carroll School) led the Knights on the glass with a career-best seven rebounds.

Wagner
2013-14 Season: 15-11 (9-4 NEC)
When: Thursday, Feb.24 - 7 p.m.
Where: Hackensack, N.J. (Hackensack, N.J.)
Series History: FDU leads 49-46
Last Meeting: Feb. 6, 2014 - Wagner 75 FDU 68
What You Need To Know: The Seahawks are currently riding a five-game win streak, which started in their victory over the Knights 17 days ago. Monday's contest was originally supposed to be played on Feb. 13, but Winter Storm Pax forced the postponement of the game. After winning at Sacred Heart by seven on Feb. 8, Wagner has won its last three at home over Bryant (73-61), Sacred Heart (74-62) and Mount St. Mary's (71-66), which occurred on Saturday. The victory over Bryant allowed the Seahawks to hold the tiebreaker in the battle for second place in the conference standings. In the first meeting between FDU and Wagner, the Seahawks used an 11-point run coupled with a 14-point advantage from the free throw line to lead 36-25 at halftime. The Knights never got closer than seven in the second half, as they struggled from the field while allowing Wagner to go to the free throw line 35 times (25 makes). Sanders Jr. led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, and freshman Malachi Nix (Evanston, Ill./Niles North) added a career-high 11 points (5-of-6 FG). Seahawks leading scorer Latif Rivers (14.3 ppg) netted 20 points (10-of-10 FT) off the bench. Jay Harris added 15 points for Wagner, but he is currently serving a suspension and will miss Monday's game. Kenneth Ortiz (13.0 ppg) added 11 points, eight assists and three steals, while Orlando Parker (6.4 rpg) grabbed 12 rebounds.

Up Next
FDU will play its final home contest of the regular season on Thursday, Feb. 27 when it hosts first-place Robert Morris, who has already clinched the NEC regular season title. Sanders Jr., Seilund and Gillette will all be honored before the 7 p.m. tipoff at Stratis Arena.