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Game Notes
The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team will look to pick up its second Northeast Conference victory of the season when they hit to road to take on Mount St. Mary's Thursday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Emmitsburg, MD and will be televised on Fox College Sports, MASN and ESPN 3.
The Knights (2-23, 1-13 NEC) lost the backend of their home-and-home NEC Rivalry Week series this past Saturday at Monmouth, 82-68. The Knights had a great shooting night as they shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the floor including a 56.7 percent (17-of-30) showing over the first 20 minutes. The Hawks also shot the ball well as they finished the game at 49.2 percent (31-of-63). They also had a hot first half as they shot 53.1 percent (17-of-32) before halftime. Both teams nailed six three-pointers, but the difference in the game came at the free throw line where Monmouth went 14-of-22, while FDU made 6-of-9. The Hawks also owned the glass as they out-rebounded the Knights, 39-26.
Monmouth raced out to a quick 7-0 lead and eventually led 14-5 going into the first media timeout with 15:50 remaining before halftime. Trailing by eight, FDU was able to cut the lead to three at 19-16 with 11:11 left in the first half. With the Knights still down three at 27-24, the Hawks went on a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 36-26 with 4:25 to go before halftime. Down 43-32, FDU outscored Monmouth, 7-2, the rest of the half to go into the break down 45-39. Two jumpers by junior
Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac) to start the second half cut the lead to four, and a three-pointer by senior
Briahn Smith (Detroit, MI/Madison) put the Knights down one, 47-46, with 17:27 left in the contest. After Bolding knocked down a pair of free throws to keep FDU within one point at 51-50, the Hawks began to separate themselves as a 17-4 run gave them a 68-54 lead with 9:42 remaining in the game. Two free throws by graduate student
George Goode (Raytown, MO/Raytown South) cut the lead to three at 57-54, but Monmouth scored the next 11 points. The closest the Knights would get the rest of the way was eight as the Hawks used the run to cruise to the victory.
Junior Bolding led the Knights with 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field. He also dished out four assists. Goode added 16 points and three blocked shots, and Smith came off the bench to chip in 14 points, grab a game-high eight rebounds and record four assists.
Scouting Mount St. Mary's: The Mount (6-19, 4-10 NEC), who were picked to finish sixth in the Northeast Conference, come into Thursday's on a three-game losing streak after falling in both of its games to Wagner during NEC Rivalry Week and a home game to Robert Morris (67-62). Before its three-game losing streak, the Mount won back-to-back contests at Sacred Heart (81-80 2OT) and at home against Saint Francis PA (64-51). They are currently tied for ninth place in the NEC standings and sit three-games back behind the final playoff spot.
Sophomore guard Julian Norfleet leads the Mount in scoring at 13.1 ppg and is the team's best three-point threat (36.7 percent; 54-of-147). Junior forward Raven Barber is the team's sixth man and is the Mount's second-leading scorer at 8.7 ppg and is the team's second-leading rebounder at 4.5 rpg (tied with Norfleet). He is also shooting 55.9 percent (80-of-143) from the field. Senior forward Danny Thompson leads the Mount in rebounding at 7.1 rpg and is also averaging 8.0 ppg.
All-Time Series: This will be the 45th meeting between the two schools which dates back to the 1955-56 season. Both teams have played each other at least once a year since the 1989-90 season. The Knights hold a 24-20 advantage but are only 10-11 on the road. The Mount won earlier this season at FDU, 66-45, on January 7 for their sixth consecutive win in the series, while winning seven of eight. Last season, the Mount won at home over the Knights, 70-59, in the only meeting between the two teams. The last FDU win came on January 5, 2008 as they defeated the Mount on the road, 65-62.
