The Knights (0-4) let a second-half lead slip away and fell 54-47 at Columbia last Sunday afternoon. With 15:47 left in the game and FDU holding on to a 29-21 lead, the Lions roared back to even the score at 40-40 with just under six minutes to go. Two minutes later the Columbia connected on a 3-pointer followed by a jumper and a layup for a seven-point edge at 49-42. The Knights would cut the lead to four at 51-47 but could not get any closer down the stretch.
 
FDU forced a season-high 23 turnovers but had 22 turnovers of their own, which led to 14 Columbia points. The Knights shot 29 percent from the field on 18-of-62 shooting to go with 3-of-19 shooting on threes (15.8 percent). Sophomore Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) was FDU's most efficient offensive option with 16 points on 6-of-9 on field goals and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Fellow sophomore Stephanie Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven) also connected on three 3-pointers to score 11 points, and redshirt junior Danielle Pankey (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) and sophomore Amanda Andrades (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) added nine and seven points, respectively.
 
Through four contests, Livermore leads the way with 14.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, while shooing a team-best 51.2 percent (21-of-41) from the floor. Pankey is averaging 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game to go along with 2.5 thefts per contest.

Manhattan (1-2) will be playing its third home game of the season. The Jaspers lost at home to Towson, 63-60, in overtime to start the season but rebounded with a 68-63 victory over VCU. Manhattan is coming off a 70-60 defeat at Cornell on Tuesday.

Three players are averaging double figures in scoring for the Jaspers. Junior Monica Roeder leads the way with 14.3 points per game. Senior Toni-Ann Lawrence is averaging 11.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while shooting nearly 62 percent from the floor, and freshman Shayna Ericksen is averaging 10.3 points and a team-best 5.7 rebounds per game.
 
FDU and Manhattan will be meeting for the 17th time with the Jaspers leading the all-time series, 11-5, which dates back to 1980. Both sides have not faced each other since 2007-08 season. The Knights defeated Manhattan, 60-59, on Dec. 15, 2007 after falling the year before, 60-51. The victory was Head Coach Pete Cinella's third in his FDU career, while assistant coach Jennifer Walking poured in 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
 
Following the game against Manhattan, the Knights will have a week off before traveling to State College, Pa. to face nationally-ranked Penn State on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m.