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HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team will host Garden State rival Monmouth University on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 2:30 p.m. Tipoff will follow the FDU women's contest against the Hawks, which is slated for Sunday at noon. The game was originally slated for Saturday but was moved to Sunday due to the weekend's winter weather.
The Knights are 7-17 on the season, with a 2-9 Northeast Conference mark, after falling to Sacred Heart, 77-70, on Thursday, Feb. 7. FDU began conference competition with wins in two of its first three contests but has since lost eight straight contests, including a 73-54 loss at Monmouth on Jan. 24, as the Knights' offense was stifled by the Hawks in the second half, which allowed Monmouth to take the win.
Senior Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac) led the Knights' scoring effort at the Multipurpose Activity Center with 18 points, while Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) and Yves Jules (Brooklyn, N.Y./Canarsie) also added double figures. Rochford scored 10 points, while pacing the team with seven rebounds, and Jules also scored 10 points in his first game back to action with the Knights after missing 13 games in the middle of the season.
Monmouth was led by three double-digit scorers, including Dion Nesmith, who paced all players with 21 points. Christian White added 18 for the Hawks by going 4-for-6 from beyond-the-arc.
Overall, the Knights shot 45.5 percent from the field, compared to Monmouth's 50.0 percent shooting from the floor. The Hawks were in command of shots from long range, with a 56.3 three-point shooting percentage, while holding FDU to 37.5 percent from downtown. Monmouth also won the rebounding battle, 27-26, and forced the Knights to commit 23 turnovers.
Through the season, the Knights are averaging 65.5 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 76.9. The team shoots 44.5 percent from the floor, with a league-leading 37.3 percent from beyond-the-arc.
The Knights have struggled on the glass this season and have been outrebounded by an average of 37.2 to 30 boards per game. The Sacred Heart contest on Thursday was the Knights' first game where they outrebounded an opponent since the win over Saint Francis University on Jan. 12.
Individually, Rochford leads the squad with 14.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Bolding and classmate Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) each add double-digits for FDU with 14.3 and 10.5 points per game, respectively, while Jules has averaged 9.8 points through 10 games.
The Hawks are 8-16 on the season, with a 3-8 Northeast Conference mark. After being selected to finish seventh in the conference in the preseason coaches' poll, the Hawks have lost four straight games, with their last win coming against the Knights in West Long Branch.
As a unit, the Hawks average 64.0 points per game and allow 72.5 per contest. They shoot 38.9 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from three-point range. The Hawks also force 18.3 turnovers per contest, while recording 8.9 steals and 12.8 assists.
Sophomore Andrew Nicholas leads the squad with 13.9 points per game, while senior Jesse Steele adds 10.9 points per game. The Hawks' rebounding effort is well-rounded, with Marcus Ware and Waite leading the pack, each with 4.3 boards per game.
FDU is 38-31 all time against the Hawks, dating back to the 1972 campaign. During the 2011-12 season, the Hawks defeated FDU twice as part of Northeast Conference Rivalry Week. The Hawks extended their series win streak to five with the victory earlier in the season.
Sunday's contest will mark the final time the Knights and Hawks will compete in Northeast Conference action, as the Hawks are set to join the MAAC during the 2013-14 campaign.
Following the Garden State matchup, the Knights will host St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday, Feb. 14. Tipoff at Stratis Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
