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HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team will look to snap a five-game skid as they host first-place Bryant University on Thursday, Jan. 31 at Strats Arena. The Northeast Conference conteset is slated for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Fox College Sports, ESPN3 and Cox Cable. Fans at the game will have a chance to win an iPad.
The Knights will face conference co-leader Bryant in the first of two straight games at Stratis Arena. The Bulldogs are currently 13-6 on the year. After finishing the 2011-12 season with a 2-28 record, including a 1-17 mark in conference action, the Bulldogs surprised the college basketball scene with a 6-0 start to conference action. Bryant recently fell to Sacred Heart and LIU Brooklyn to drop to 6-2 in the NEC.
Redshirt sophomore Dyami Starks leads Bryant with 18.2 points per game. The two-time NEC Player of the Week has started 18 of 19 games, with an average of 34.6 minutes per game. Junior Alex Francis adds 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and leads the team with a 54.4 shooting percentage but also leads the Bulldogs with 71 turnovers on the season.
As a unit, the Bulldogs average 72.6 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 70.8. Bryant leads the conference with a shooting percentage of 46.5 and shoots 35.7 percent from beyond-the-arc. The team grabs an average of 33 rebounds per game and tops in conference in assist/turnover ratio with a 1.2 mark.
The Bulldogs were selected to finish10th in the Northeast Conference preseason coaches' poll after finishing at the bottom of the pack last year. However, fifth-year head coach Tim O'Shea has led the Bulldogs to a first-place ranking through eight games. This year, the team is eligible for postseason play for the first time after serving a five-year Division I reclassification period.
The Knights and Bulldogs have met on six occasions since Bryant joined the NCAA Division I ranks. The Knights hold the advantage in the all-time series with four wins and two losses. In their last meeting, the Knights defeated Bryant, 66-63, in Smithfield, R.I. Senior Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) led the charge with a career-high 25 points, including two free throws with six seconds remaining to seal the win for FDU.
Robinson and the Knights are 7-14 this year, with a 2-6 record on Northeast Conference action. The team most recently fell to Quinnipiac, 58-56, where the Knights trailed by as many as 11 points before a 12-0 run cut the deficit in the second half. Both teams battled to the end of the game, but the Bobcats' opportunities from the free throw line and prowess in rebounding helped them edge FDU in the final minute of the game.
Senior Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) leads the team with 14.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while classmate Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac) adds 14.8 points per game over 35.3 minutes on the court for FDU. Robinson complements the senior class with 11.5 points per game and leads the team from beyond-the-arc with a 48.4 shooting percentage from long range.
As a whole, the Knights average 65.2 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 76.7 points per game. The team ranks third in the conference with a shooting percentage of 44.6 and first with a three-point shooting percentage of 38.5.
Defensively, the Knights pull down 29.8 rebounds per game but have struggled to edge their opponents on the boards. They typically draw six steals per game and force 12 turnovers, while turning the ball over 16 times per game.
In their most recent game, the Knights were outrebounded, 44-32, dished out 17 assists, drew seven steals and were even with Quinnipiac with 15 turnovers.
FDU will continue the weekend homestand when they host Central Connecticut State University on Saturday, Feb. 2. Tipoff in part of a men's/women's doubleheader is slated for 7 p.m. at Stratis Arena.
