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HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team (7-6, 2-0 NEC) returns home to take on fellow first-place team St. Francis Brooklyn (8-7, 2-0 NEC) in Northeast Conference action on Thursday evening, Jan. 8, with a 7 p.m. tip. NEC Front Row will take viewers live inside Stratis Arena.
 
Last Time Out
That's three straight wins for the Knights, for the first time since the 2012-13 season, with an impressive 75-69 victory at LIU Brooklyn. It's the first time that FDU has started conference play with two straight wins and has had two straight conference road victories in five years. Freshman guard Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ) scored a career-high 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 21 in the first half alone, to go along with a career-high six rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes. For his performance, the Washington, D.C. native was named the NEC Co-Rookie of the Week. Lone senior Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) added 19 points on 50 percent shooting and freshman Marques Townes (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph (Metuchen)) provided back-to-back clutch baskets late in the game to retake a squandered lead. Graduate student Darius Stokes (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar) brought the defense with a personal-best four blocks.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn
2014 Season: 8-7 (2-0 NEC)
Where: Hackensack, N.J. (Stratis Arena)
When: January 8, 2015 – 7 p.m.
Series History: FDU holds a 52-37 all-time advantage since 1955
Last Meeting: March 1, 2014 – SFBN 79 FDU 56 in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.    
What You Need To Know:  The Terriers started the season with five straight losses but have since gone 8-2, including five straight victories. Victories at Sacred Heart and against Bryant to open conference play have St. Francis Brooklyn in a tie for first place. They are led by senior forward Jalen Cannon who has just recently earned his third NEC Player of the Week award this season. Cannon is second among active NCAA players with 938 career rebounds and has racked up 1,371 points in four years on campus. He has the chance to become just the second player in NEC history to finish his career with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. Senior point guard Brent Jones ranks among the NEC's top-ten in five different categories (steals, assists/game, minutes played, assist/turnover ratio, and scoring) and needs just 145 points to become the first Terrier to score 1,000 points and assist on 500 baskets. This team is a force on the glass as they outrebound opponents with a +6.9 margin and rank 33rd in the country. In terms of offensive boards, the Terriers outrebound their opponents 229-135.
 
Up Next
The Knights are back on the road for a trip up to Bryant on Saturday, Jan. 10, as the second part in a doubleheader with the FDU women's team. Tipoff from Smithfield, R.I., is set for 4 p.m. NEC Front Row has the broadcast.