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HACKENSACK, N.J. - The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team is back home at Stratis Arena and hosting a familiar opponent in LIU Brooklyn for a Northeast Conference men's basketball game.  The Knights (8-9, 4-2 NEC) enter Thursday in a three-way tie for second place in the NEC.  The Blackbirds (9-8, 3-3 NEC) trail the second place group by a single-game and enter the contest on a two-game winning streak.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com.
 
GAME DETAILS
FDU (8-9, 4-2 NEC) vs. LIU Brooklyn (9-8, 3-3 NEC)
Where: Stratis Arena – Hackensack, N.J.
When: Thursday, January 21, 2016 – 7:00 p.m.
Series History: Even 49-49
First Meeting: 1/22/51 – LIU  W, 97-48
Last Meeting: 1/24/15 – LIU W, 80-76
Last FDU Win: 1/5/15 - FDU W, 75-69
 
Mount St. Mary's, FDU's opponent on Saturday, is currently alone in first with a 5-1 record in NEC play.
 
Series History:  This is 99th meeting in the all-time series between these programs with both teams holding a 49-49 record in the previous 98 encounters.  Last season the teams split with the road team winning in each game.  The first meeting between these schools took place on January 22, 1951 with LIU winning 97-48.  Under head coach Greg Herenda the Knights are 2-1 against the Blackbirds.
 
Season's Best Defense:  The Knights limited Saint Francis (Jan. 14) to 25 first half points and 59 total points both are season best marks for the FDU defense.  The Knights also held the Red Flash to a 39.6% shooting mark, which is the lowest for an FDU Division I opponent this season. 
 
Leading the Conference in Scoring:  FDU is leading the NEC in scoring offense at 75.5 points per game, a mark that is 2.7 points higher than second ranked LIU Brooklyn.  The Knights are the only team in the NEC to score 80 or more points in four conference games this season and are also the only team to break 90 points in NEC play.
 
Best Five Game Start in a Decade:  The Knights 4-1 start to NEC play is the best for a FDU squad since the 2004-05 team started 4-1.  The best five game start to NEC/ECAC Metro play in program history belongs to the 1985-86 and 1996-97 teams, which started 5-0.  The 1996-97 team also has the best six game start to conference play at 6-0.  The 2004-05 team improved to 7-1 before dropping its second league game.
 
Winning Streak:  The Knights three game winning streak (Jan. 7, Jan. 9, Jan. 14) was the first in NEC play since the 2009-10 season when the Knights won three in a row in early January and eventually finished with a 10-8 record in the league.
 
Quick Notes on the Knights:  The last time an FDU team was above .500 later than January 20 was the 2006-07 season.  That year FDU was 9-8 after 17 contests and would be above .500 as late as the 27th game.
 
• With a win tonight the Knights can surpass their win total from last season, 8.
 
• Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding ) and Mike Holloway (Pittsgrove, N.J./Arthur P. Schalick ) won weekly awards from the NEC on Monday, Jan. 11.  Potts claimed player of the week and Holloway rookie of the week.
 
• Sophomore Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara) had scored in double figures in six straight games before having the streak snapped Thursday (Jan. 6) at Sacred Heart
 
• The Knights have been excellent at the free throw line in NEC play going 79-of-99 at the stripe, which is an 79.8% clip.  The team had shot 62.7% during non-conference play.
 
• The 41-28 advantage in rebounding against Sacred Heart gave FDU a +13 rebounding margin, the team's best performance against a Division I opponent dating back to the 2010-11 season.
 
• The Knights had a lead of at least 20 points in the first half of three straight games (at Sacred Heart, vs. CCSU and at Saint Francis U).