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HACKENSACK, N.J. – A trip to New Mexico opens the 2016-17 season for the Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team as the Knights will take on New Mexico on Saturday at 4 p.m. eastern.

OPENING TIP
FDU heads west to open the 2016-17 season at New Mexico. It will be the first time the Knights will play a team that is a member of the Mountain West Conference. The game will be only the fourth game in program history for FDU out of the eastern or central time zones. 

SERIES SCORE
This will be the first time the Knights and Lobos will face one another.

LAST TIME OUT
The Knights lost to Robert Morris in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament to close last season. It was the second straight year that the Colonials ended the Knights' season in the three versus six seed matchup.

MORE MOUNTAIN WEST
The Knights will face another Mountain West Conference school in Air Force later on in November at home. It will also be the first meeting between the Knights and the Falcons.

SEASON OPENERS
FDU last won its season opener back in 2014-15 against Manhattan and is 2-7 in season openers under Peter Cinella.

PRESEASON POLL
The Knights were picked ninth in the Northeast Conference Preseason Poll, which is voted on by the league's head coaches. It is the second time in three seasons that Knights have occupied the ninth spot in the NEC preseason poll.

NEC TOURNAMENT
The Knights have made the NEC Tournament in back-to-back seasons and six of the last nine years. FDU has never been to three straight NEC Tournaments under Cinella.

RETURNING ALL-LEAGUE
Madelynn Comly (Littlestown, Pa./Delone Catholic) returns for her sophomore season after earning NEC All-Rookie honors a season ago after averaging 5.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists last season. 

SENIOR LEADER
Brianna Thomas (Baldwin, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Diocesan) is the most experienced player back for the Knights this season with 80 games played and 54 starts in her career. Thomas averaged 6.8 points per game last season and has averaged 7.4 ppg in her career.

HELPING HAND
Kiana Brown (Richmond, Va./Hermitage) returns at the point for the Knights after finishing third in the NEC in assists last season at 3.8 per game.  

FREE POINTS?
The returnees for Fairleigh Dickinson have shot 70% overall for their collegiate careers, which would put the Knights in top half of the league last season. 

70 or 60>
The Knights' scored at least 70 points in all 11 wins a season ago and went 5-0 when allowing less than 60 points to the opposition.

FRESH FACES
Five newcomers will be making their collegiate debuts this season for the Knights. All five will compete for minutes left by the Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) and Kelsey Cruz (Chester, Va./Lloyd C. Bird).

HOME COOKING
The Knights finished 8-8 at home last season. It was the first time in since the 2010-11 season (10-4) that the Knights were .500 or better at home. The Knights went 6-3 in NEC play at home.