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HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team will travel to Fairfield, Conn. to take on the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Thursday, Feb. 7 in a Northeast Conference contest. Tipoff at the William H. Pitt Center is slated for 7 p.m.
The Knights are 7-16 on the year, with a 2-8 NEC mark, and will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak. The Pioneers fell in their two most recent contests and now sit at 8-13 on the year, with a 6-4 conference record.
As a unit, the Knights are averaging 65.3 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 76.9 points per contest. The Knights maintain a 44.7 shooting percentage, with a league-leading 37.8 from three-point range. Last weekend, the Knights shot 45 percent from the floor and held the competition to 41.3 percent but fell by an average of 79-67 per game.
FDU has struggled on the glass this season and is currently outrebounded 37.3 to 29.7 boards per game. The team allows 16.2 turnovers, picks up 6.0 steals and dishes out 13.3 assists per contest.
After a stunning 34 points against Central Connecticut State, junior Yves Jules (Brooklyn, N.Y./Canarsie) joins the ranks of Knights averaging double-figures. Jules has now put in an average of 10.7 points per game, while shooting 54.4 percent from the floor. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native complements seniors Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison), Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac) and Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach), who have recorded double-digit averages through the majority of the year.
Rochford currently leads the Knights with 14.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. He is also leading the team with a 58.2 field-goal percentage. Bolding and Robinson add 14.2 and 10.9 points per game for FDU.
The Pioneers are led by redshirt senior Shane Gibson, who averages 20.1 points per game, while played 32.1 minutes per game. Gibson's high point total is complemented by 14.1 points per game from redshirt junior Louis Montes and 10.8 points per game by redshirt sophomore Steve Glowiak. Montes paces the team on the boards with 6.4 rebounds per contest.
As a team, the Pioneers average 70.2 points per game, while letting opponents score 76.3 points per game. The group has maintained a 44.3 shooting percentage, with a 35.5 percentage from beyond-the-arc. The Pioneers pull down 34.5 rebounds per game, while forcing 12.7 turnovers and dishing out 13.8 assists per contest.
After a seven-game losing streak early in the season, the Pioneers bounced back with six conference wins. They most recently fell on the road at Wagner and Mount St. Mary's. In games at the Pitt Center, the Pioneers are 4-3 on the year and 4-0 in conference action.
The Knights and Pioneers have met on 21 occasions, with at least one matchup every year since 2000. The Pioneers earned the win in last year's bout, 66-57, at Stratis Arena, while the Knights defeated SHU at the Pitt Center, 85-74, in 2011. The Pioneers hold the advantage in the all-time series with 11 wins, compared to the Knights' 10 victories.
Following Thursday's contest, the Knights will host Monmouth University on Saturday, Feb.9 as part of FDU's Winter Homecoming event. Tipoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. and will follow the FDU women's basketball team's game against the visiting Hawks.
