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HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team will start Northeast Conference action on Saturday afternoon against Wagner in Staten Island, N.Y. Tipoff at the Spiro Sports Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on NEC Front Row, which can be found at www.fduknights.com and www.necfrontrow.com. The men's contest between the two schools will take place following the conclusion of the women's game.
 
The Knights (5-6) are winners of four of five and five of seven after finishing the Lehigh Christmas City Classic with a victory over Binghamton, 54-41, on Dec. 30 to earn a split at the tournament.
 
Redshirt junior Danielle Pankey (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) led the way with a game-high 19 points, knocking down 9-of-13 from the free throw line and grabbing eight rebounds. Sophomore Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) added 12 points and a team-best 11 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season and tied a career high in steals with three. Sophomore Miah Register (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic), playing in only her second game of the season, came off the bench to chip in eight points, three rebounds, three assists and a career-high four steals, while fellow classmate Amanda Andrades (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) tied her season high in assists with five and grabbed five rebounds.
 
FDU used a 22-6 run over 10:03 stretch in the first half to take a 28-16 lead with 2:03 remaining before halftime and controlled the rest of the game.
 
The Knights finished the game shooting 33.9 percent (20-of-59) and made only 3-of-14 from three-point range and 11-of-17 free throws. They allowed Binghamton to shoot only 21 percent (13-of-62), including 16.7 percent (5-of-30) in the second half, en route to allowing a season-low 41 points. FDU also grabbed 50 rebounds for the third time this season after outrebounding the Bearcats, 50-45, and scored 22 points off 20 turnovers. The Knights were also good in transition, scoring 17 fast-break points, and held a 28-8 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Pankey leads FDU in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game average, while scoring in double figures in nine of 11 contests this season. She is also averaging 5.4 rebounds per contest and leads the team in steals (16) and made three-pointers (13). Over her last seven games, Pankey has scored in double-figures and is averaging 16.6 points per game.
 
Livermore is averaging 12.5 points and a team-high 10.7 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-best 46.8 percent (52-of-111) from the field. She has recorded eight double-doubles in 11 games this season, which is tied for eighth in the country. Livermore's rebounding average is the 22nd best in the nation.
 
The Seahawks (1-10), who are picked to finish last in the NEC, have lost nine in a row after picking up their lone victory of the year at Columbia (a team that beat FDU), 61-47, on Nov. 14 in their second game of the season. Wagner and FDU have both lost at home to Army and on the road at Syracuse. Last weekend, the Seahawks were defeated by UMBC (48-43) and Fairfield (81-44) at the Hawk Classic, hosted by Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia
 
Wagner is led by sophomore forward Stephanie Blais, who is averaging a team-best 9.7 points per game, while leading the team in field goal percentage (40.7, 44-of-108), three-point field goal percentage (42.1, 16-of-38) and blocks (16).
 
The Knights and the Seahawks will be meeting for the 63rd time in the all-time series, which dates back to 1978. FDU holds a 32-30 advantage and has won the last 12. Last season, the Knights won handedly at home, 86-49, on Jan. 9 before escaping with a 66-62 road victory in Staten Island on Feb. 20.
 
In the first victory, Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) paced FDU with 27 points and six assists, while Stephanie Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven) added 12 points on four made three-pointers. Danielle Pankey (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) chipped in 11 points and four steals, and Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) and Torrie Childs (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Central) scored 10 points, with Livermore grabbing a game-high eight rebounds.
 
In the second meeting, the Knights found themselves down by 13 at the half but rallied for the victory, which clinched a spot in the NEC Tournament. Laury led FDU with 23 points, while Desiree Crawford (Aurora, Ontario/Cardinal Carter Catholic) picked up a double-double with 15 points (all in the second half) and 10 rebounds. Pankey chipped in 14 points for the Knights.
 
Following the contest at Wagner, the Knights will travel to Emmitsburg, Md. to take on Mount St. Mary's for a 7 p.m. NEC contest at Knott Arena on Monday, Jan. 7.