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HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team (9-18, 6-10 NEC) is hoping to clinch a berth in the Northeast Conference Tournament for the first time in three years when it hosts Central Connecticut State (17-10, 13-3 NEC) on Saturday, Feb. 28, at Stratis Arena. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and will be the team's annual Play 4 Kay game to raise breast cancer awareness. All players and coaches will be wearing pink and fans are encouraged to do the same.
 
The contest will be the first of a doubleheader featuring both schools' men's basketball teams, tipping off at 4:30 p.m.
 
NEC Front Row will carry live video coverage and can be accessed at the link above.
 
Last Time Out
The Knights travelled to Sacred Heart for a rare Wednesday night NEC clash, a make-up of a postponed date one month ago, and for the third consecutive road game in a five-day span. FDU had won its previous two, at Mount St. Mary's and at St. Francis Brooklyn, by a combined five points, but fell late to the Pioneers, 66-65. The Knights went on a 21-8 run midway through the first half, punctuated by Zeynep Akgun (Ankara, Turkey/Ted Ankara)'s corner three-pointer to take a 12-point lead. The Pioneers fought back and came out of the halftime break by tying the game up at 41 after FDU had led for the previous 15 minutes. FDU maintained a slim lead but an 8-1 run by the hosts gave them their first lead in nearly 29 minutes. There would be three ties in the final three minutes until Adaysha Williams made a layup with 1:32 on the clock following by Amanda Andrades (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne)' second bucket of the night to take a 65-64 lead with 35 seconds to go. Lerae Etienne, however, converted a layup with 16 seconds left and that would be the final score. Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks in 32 minutes, while Kelsey Cruz (Chester, Va./Lloyd C. Bird) added 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting. FDU dominated on the glass, 45-36, and won the turnover battle, 14-13. However, after a very efficient first half (53.6%), the Knights mustered juts 25% on all attempts in the second stanza.
 
Central Connecticut State
2014 Season: 17-10 (13-3 NEC)
Where: Hackensack, N.J. (Stratis Arena)
When: February 28, 2015 – 2:00 p.m.
Series History: CCSU holds a 20-15 advantage since 1988
Last Meeting: January 3, 2015 – CCSU 82 FDU 53 in New Britain, Conn.
What You Need To Know:  The Blue Devils lost at Mount St. Mary's on January 12 but then rattled off eight straight wins en route to the top spot of the league standings. CCSU made the annual western PA road trip but fell to both Robert Morris and Saint Francis U, only being able to score 48 points on both occasions. However, the Blue Devils bounced back with wins at home against Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U last weekend. Camden Musgrave won NEC and ECAC Rookie of the Week for her performances over the weekend. Tejahne Malone paces the Blue Devils as the only double figure scorer (11.2 ppg) and is the team's leading rebounder (7.3 rpg), all in just 27.3 minutes per contest. Since conference play began, CCSU has five different players playing solid minutes and shooting at least 40% from the field. When these two teams met earlier in the season, it was reserve Nicole Ferguson who led her team with a season-high 18 points and backed up by Lauren Wolosik's 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. The Blue Devils converted half of their shot attempts on the day.
 
Five teams have clinched postseason berths. FDU sits in a tie for sixth place with LIU Brooklyn, who hold the tiebreaker after sweeping the Knights this season. Mount St. Mary's, losers of nine straight, are in the eighth spot and both Wagner and Saint Francis University are at 4-12 and tied for ninth. If both of the ninth place teams lose on Saturday, FDU will automatically clinch a postseason berth. If they win, it will depend on the Knights' outcome and possibly carry over to the final day of the regular season.
 
Up Next
The Knights finish out their regular season by hosting Sacred Heart on Monday evening, March 2. Tipoff from Stratis Arena is slated for 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to watch the Senior Day ceremony honoring seniors Amanda Andrades (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) and Tiffany Grant (Odenton, Md./Arundel). NEC Front Row will carry live video coverage starting at 6:50.