NEW BRITAIN, Conn.  – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team will look to return to its winning ways on Saturday at Central Connecticut State University. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. at Detrick Gymnasium.
 
The Knights won both meetings between the two squads last season. The first matchup resulted in an 92-73 win for the Knights in Hackensack on Jan. 9 and then on Feb. 27 they were victorious 81-75.


Notes: FDU Notes – CCSU Notes

FDU Men's Basketball Report 1/11

NEC Weekly Basketball Release 1/9
Watch: NEC on the Run 1/12
 
Game Information:
Fairleigh Dickinson University (6-10, 4-1 NEC) vs. Central Connecticut St. (2-14, 0-5 NEC)
Where: Detrick Gymnasium – New Britain, Connecticut
When: Saturday, January 14 – 3:30 p.m.
Series History: FDU leads the all-time series 22-17
First Meeting:   Dec. 14, 1988  (FDU  W, 75-74)
Last Meeting: Feb. 27, 2016 – (FDU W, 81-75) In last year's regular season finale, the Knights came away with the win and secured the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament. With FDU leading, 78-75 with 21 seconds remaining, sophomore Darian Anderson connected on a long 3-pointer to give the Knights a two-possession lead and seal the victory.


Broadcast Information:
Watch: NECFrontRow 
Stats: Live Stats

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Central Connecticut State Blue Devils:
In their last outing, CCSU dropped to 0-5 in NEC play with a 60-59 loss at LIU Brooklyn on Thursday night.
 
CCSU was within four points in the second half, but the Blackbirds held off the late charge to seal the win. Senior Khalen Cumberlander and Austin Nehls led CCSU with 13 points. Junior Mustafa Jones finished with 11 points and a team-high six rebounds. 
 
Central shot 35.4 percent overall from the field and was 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
 
CCSU has struggled out of the gate in conference play and has been outscored by 11.2 points per game over the five-game stretch. They have done a solid job of limiting opponents field goal percentage and rank fourth in the NEC in field goal defense at 43.2 percent.
 
Additionally, the Blue Devils are tied for second in NEC games in turnover margin +1.8 and third in steals at 7.2 per game.
 
Head coach Donyell Marshall relies heavily on his starting unit, as three players are averaging 31 minutes per game or better through the first five.  

Head Coach: Donyell Marshall (UConn '94)
Record at Central Connecticut: 2-14 (.142) – (First Season)

Team Leaders:
Points: Austin Nehls 13.4 ppg
Rebounds: Tidell Pierre 6.8 rpg
Assists: Eric Bowles 2.8 apg
 
Last Time Out for the Knights:
The Knights fought valiantly to overcome an 18-point deficit but suffered their first Northeast Conference loss of the season, falling 77-70 at Mount Saint Mary's on Thursday night.
 
The Knights fought all the way back to tie the game in the final three minutes but the Mount was able to force key turnovers down the stretch and earn the victory.
 
Junior guard Darian Anderson led all scorers with a game-high 24 points and added four rebounds and three assists to his ledger in the loss. Anderson connected on 9-of-19 (47.3%) from the field, while Mike Holloway notched 18 points and seven rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting.
 
After struggling offensively in the first half, the Knights rebounded in the second and shot 54.8 percent from the field. The Mount thrived at the offensive end, earning quality looks throughout and finished with a 54.8 percent shooting effort, including a 12-of-20 (60%) effort in the second stanza. They also dished out 22 assists compared to the Knights' six. 
 
The Mount held the Knights to their lowest field goal percentage in a half this season at 30.4 percent in the first.

Herenda's Take: 
"When you play with fire you will eventually get burnt and we did tonight. We came out and let Mount St. Mary's do whatever they wanted in the first half offensively and it cost us. 
 
"We have to put things in proper perspective -- that was our first conference loss in the last 10 games. We lost in a historically difficult building so we have to own this one, get on the bus and get ready for Central on Saturday."
 
"We need to play for the entire 40 minutes on every second of every possession and we will eventually get to that point but we are not there yet."


News and Notes: 
Four in a Row: The Knights have won four straight games against CCSU and five of the last six meetings. 
 
Conference Leaders: Through the first five NEC games, the Knights are not only atop the conference standings, but leading in scoring as well. Over their 4-1 start, FDU is averaging 77 points per game, while shooting 84.9% at the line -- both figures are best in the NEC. They are also +2.60 in turnover margin, which is almost a full point better than the next team. 
 
Darian Anderson's play has been a major reason for the Knights' turnover success. The junior guard leads the NEC with 2.80 steals per conference game.
 
4-0 Start: The Knights began the NEC season 4-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
 
Two Halves: Coach Herenda has preached the importance of his team playing a consistent full 40 minutes this season. The team has showed a disparity in play from half to half. Against Bryant, the Knights scored 56 first-half points but just 31 in the second half. In Thursday's loss at the Mount, the team shot 30 percent (28 pts) in the first half and 54 percent (42 pts) in the second.
 
 
First-Half Firing: In last Saturday's win over Bryant, the Knights buried nine of 11 3-pointers in the first half. The nine first-half treys were the most in a half by the team since Feb. 20, 2014 against the same Bulldog squad. The Knights finished with 56 points in the stanza, which is second most this season behind their 58-point outburst in the second half against Lipscomb. The program's high came against Princeton in 2014 when the Knights amassed 64 second-half points in a win.
 
Surging Steph: Stephan Jiggetts is averaging career-highs across the board this season. The junior point guard has been rolling as of late, averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 assists per game over the Knights' last two wins. Jiggetts currently leads the NEC in assists per game at 4.75.
 
Charitable Donations: All season long the Knights have thrived at the free throw line. The team has posted a 75.8 percent clip overall, including an 84.9 percent effort in NEC play. Both figures are tops in the conference while the 75.5 percent overall number is 31st best in the nation. 
 
FDU Notable Ranks: 
                                        NCAA/NEC Rank
Fewest Turnovers:      186          40th-------1st
Free Throw %:            75.8%      26th-------1st
Ast/TO Ratio:             1.09         138th-----2nd
Scoring                      74.7 ppg  161^st------2nd
 
Be My Guest: Tune in every Sunday to "The Greg Herenda Show" on WFDU and iHeartRadio. All broadcasts can be found at fduknights.com/herendashow. This week's show features current CBS Sports Network basketball commentator and former college basketball coach Steve Lappas. Lappas is also the father of the Knights' Director of Basketball Ops., Pete Lappas.
 
Next up:
The Knights return home to host St. Francis Brooklyn this Thursday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m.