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HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team will host the Terriers of St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday, Feb. 14. Tipoff at Stratis Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
The Knights are 7-18 this season, with a 2-10 Northeast Conference mark after falling to in-state rival, Monmouth University, 80-76, on Sunday, Feb. 10. After beginning NEC play with two wins in two weeks, the Knights have struggled to produce a win and are currently riding a nine-game losing streak, which includes a 70-51 loss at St. Francis on Jan. 19.
The Terriers took an early lead at the Pope Physical Education Center and never relinquished the advantage. The Knights shot 34.0 percent from the floor, compared to the Terriers 43.5 percent and were outrebounded, 47-33, on the day.
Senior Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac) and junior Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, S.C./Burke) were the top offensive producers for FDU against the Terriers with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The Terriers saw three double-digit scorers, including sophomore Jalen Cannon who had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Through the season, the Knights are averaging 66 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 77 points per contest. The team shoots 44 percent from the floor, with a 37.3 percent clip from beyond-the-arc.
The Knights have been outmatched on the glass this season and have been outrebounded by an average of 37.5 to 30.3 rebounds per game.
Individually, Bolding and senior Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) lead the squad with 14.5 points per game each. Rochford also paces the team with 8.9 rebounds per game and a league-leading 56.9 shooting percentage.
Sanders Jr. has been a strong producer for the Knights recently, with 25 minutes per game averaged and an assistant to turnover ratio of 2-1 over the last five games.
The Terriers of St. Francis Brooklyn are 9-14 on the year, with a 5-7 conference record and are 1-5 since defeating FDU in January. Reigning NEC Coach of the Year Glenn Braica and the Terriers were selected to finish fifth in the conference this year in the preseason coaches' poll and are currently tied for eighth with Mount St. Mary's.
Cannon leads the team with 16 points and league-leading 9.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.7 percent from the field. Cannon has produced 10 double-doubles this season to lead the NEC. Ben Mockford and Akeem Johnson add 10.3 and 10.0 points per game for the Terriers, who combine for 69.7 points per game as a team.
The Terriers connect on 42.7 percent of shots from the field and bring down an average of 34.9 rebounds per contest, while similarly to the Knights, record 13 assists, 6.7 steals and 12.6 turnovers per contest.
FDU and St. Francis Brooklyn have met 87 times since 1955. The Knights hold the advantage in the overall series, 51-36, but have fallen six times in the last seven meetings. Last season, the Knights fell 62-51 at the Pope Physical Education Center before defeating the Terriers in the season finale, 45-44, at Stratis Arena.
Following the matchup with the Terriers, the Knights will travel to Brooklyn to face LIU Brooklyn. Tipoff against the Blackbirds is slated for 4:30 p.m.
