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HACKENSACK, N.J. - The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team hosts Saint Francis U at Stratis Arena on Thursday, January 28 in a matchup of two of the Northeast Conference's top teams.  The Knights (9-10, 5-3 NEC) and Red Flash (9-10, 5-3 NEC) met just two weeks ago in Loretto, Pennsylvania with FDU earning a 71-59 victory behind a strong first half offensive effort.  FDU and SFU are two of the three teams, along with Wagner, currently tied for second place in the NEC standings.  The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

The coaching staff will be wearing sneakers for the contest as FDU takes part in Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers week.  Suits and Sneakers week is the result of an association between the NABC and the American Cancer Society.  In addition to the sneakers, those in attendance can also contribute to FDU's Relay For Life Event, which will be held on February 11.
 
GAME DETAILS
FDU (9-10, 5-3 NEC) vs. Saint Francis U (9-10, 5-3 NEC)
Where: Stratis Arena – Hackensack, N.J.
When: Thursday, January 28, 2016 – 7:00 p.m.
Series History: Even 42-42
First Meeting: 1/12/55 - SFU W, 75-62
Last Meeting: 1/14/16 – FDU W, 71-59
Last FDU Win: 1/14/16 – FDU W, 71-59
 
Series History:  This is 85th all-time meeting between FDU and Saint Francis U with the teams splitting the previous meetings in the series, 42-42.  The Knights won 71-59 two weeks ago snapping SFU's five game winning streak against FDU.  Saint Francis won both meetings between the schools in 2014-15 and 2013-14.  The win two weeks ago was also FDU's first in Loretto since a 79-61 victory on February 9, 2008.
 
Career-High for Townes:  Prior to Sunday (Jan. 24), sophomore Marques Townes (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph (Metuchen)) had reached his career-high of 18 points on five occasions.  He surpassed that mark with a 26-point performance against Mount St. Mary's on January 24.  Townes was 10-of-16 from the field and four-of-seven from long range.  He also grabbed eight rebounds in the contest.

Season's Best Defense:  The Knights limited Saint Francis 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. 
 
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.
 
• The Knights have two games left in the month of January; a win in either contest would give the Knights six wins in a calendar month for the first time since the 2005-06 season.  That team won eight times in the month of February.  Since then FDU has only recorded 5 wins in a calendar month three times, the most recent – prior to this season – a 5-4 record in January of 2014.
 
• With a win tonight the Knights can match their win total from the 2013-14 season (10), Greg Herenda's first year leading the Knights.
 
• The Knights have been excellent at the free throw line in NEC play going 118-of-150 at the stripe, which is a 78.7% clip.  The team had shot 62.7% during non-conference play.
 
Sophomore Scoring:  Four FDU sophomores - Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ), Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding ), Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara) and Marques Townes (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph (Metuchen)) - currently rank as the team's top four scorers.  Anderson leads the group at 15.3 points per game, while Potts (14.2), Jiggetts (11.3) and Townes (11.1) are close behind.  The quartet has accounted for 984 points this season, which is 67.5% of the team's scoring this year.

FDU's Edge:  Freshman Darnell Edge (Saugerties, N.Y./Saugerties) has seen his minutes rise sharply over the last four games as he has played at least 16 minutes in each game and is averaging 18.0 per game over the stretch.  His statistics have also improved with a 60% shooting percentage and 50% three-point shooting percentage helping him average 6.25 points per game, nearly a four-point increase over his first 15 games this season.   Defensively, Edge had two steals - which led to eight points - in the 15-0 run that put the Knights in front of LIU Brooklyn last Thursday.
 
Coming Up:  The Knights embark on four straight road games with visits to LIU (Jan. 30), Wagner (Feb. 4), St. Francis Brooklyn (Feb. 6) and Bryant (Feb. 11).