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HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team (5-6) opens up the Northeast Conference portion of its schedule on Saturday afternoon as the secont part of a doubleheader at Central Connecticut State (2-11). Tipoff from Detrick Gymnasium is slated for 3:30 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
Freshmen Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ) and Marques Townes (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph (Metuchen)) notched career-highs, 23 and 18, respectively, in a thrilling 85-84 overtime victory at Towson on Dec. 29. The Knights found themselves down 14 points with 10 minutes to play in regulation but the team rallied furiously and capped a 25-11 run with a Townes layup to even the score at 73 apiece. Graduate student Darius Stokes (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar) converted his own layup and FDU took its first lead since the opening points of the contest. With 13 seconds left, Townes hit one of two free throws to take the late lead but Towson's Eddie Keith was fouled with just one tick left on the clock. Keith could only convert one and the game went to overtime where Anderson and Stephon Jiggetts each hit crucial three's to keep up with the hosts. With the Tigers leading by one on the final possession, sophomore captain Matt MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) found Townes in the paint for the game-winning layup with seconds remaining.  
 
Central Connecticut State
2014 Season: 2-11
Where: New Britain, Conn. (Detrick Gym)
When: January 3, 2015 – 3:30 p.m.
Series History: FDU holds an 18-17 advantage since 1988
Last Meeting: February 8, 2014 – CCSU 91 FDU 86 (OT) in New Britain, Conn.  
What You Need To Know: The Blue Devils opened up the season with seven straight losses before a quick two-game winning streak at Hartford and at home to UMBC. Since, the team has fallen to NJIT, Brown, at UConn, and against Hofstra. Sophomore Matt Mobley leads the team with 17.8 points per contest, including six 20+ point performances, while Faronte Drakeford adds 11.7 and Khalen Cumberlander tallies 10.2. Junior forward Brandon Peel has been an unsung hero with averages of 7.9 points and a team-leading 8.9 boards. Head Coach Howie Dickenman, with a 17-14 all-time record against the Knights, doesn't employ a deep rotation and instead plays his starters major minutes.
 
Up Next
The Knights continue their road swing with a Monday evening NEC clash at LIU Brooklyn, another doubleheader with the women's teams. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and NEC Front Row, as with every conference game, will carry a live video broadcast.