HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team returns to the East Coast to take on Saint Peter's University in a Wednesday night Garden State showdown. Tipoff at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, N.J. is slated for 7 p.m. It is the Knights' first game of the season in their home state, after four games in the South Padre Island Invitational.
After falling in their first three games of the season, the Knights responded with two consecutive wins at the South Padre Island Invitational in South Padre Island, Texas last week. FDU came from behind in wins over Delaware State (63-62) and Prairie View A&M (84-70).
The team currently has five players averaging double-digit points. Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac), Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison), Sekou Harris (Plainfield, N.J./Plainfield High School), Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) and Mathias Seilund (Dragoer, Denmark/Falkonergaardens Gymnasium) lead the Knights offensively. Bolding paces the team with 14.2 points per contest, while Rochford and Harris have added 14.0 and 13.5, respectively, in two games. Robinson has put up 12.4 points per game, while Seilund added 10.7 points per game before an injury sidelined him in South Padre.
The Peacocks of Saint Peter's University are 3-2 on the year. The team defeated Rutgers in the season opener, and has since earned wins over Central Connecticut State and Cornell, while dropping games to Binghamton and Seton Hall.
The Peacocks are led by seventh-year head coach John Dunne. In 2011, Dunne led the team to the MAAC Championship. A year later the team went 5-26 and finished ninth in the conference. This season they are predicted to finish 10th among MAAC teams.
Saint Peter's is led by Desi Washington, a transfer from Delaware State, who has averaged 15.0 points per game with 5.8 rebounds per contest in his sophomore season. Blaise Ffrench, a senior UTEP transfer, is averaging 12.5 points per contest and also grabs 5.8 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Peacocks average 60.5 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 59.8. They have shot 43.1 percent from the floor this season, including 32.8 percent from three-point range.
Friday will be the 52nd meeting between FDU and Saint Peter's since 1952. The teams have met in all but two of the last 10 years, with the Peacocks holding a 3-6 advantage in recent history.
The Knights are 13-39 overall against the Peacocks. In 2011, FDU recorded an early-season win, 73-62, at Stratis Arena.
The game can be heard live and free of charge at FDUKnights.com/showcase.
