HACKENSACK, N.J. – In a battle to maintain the top spot in the Northeast Conference standings, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team (8-10, 6-1 NEC) hosts LIU Brooklyn (13-7, 6-1 NEC) at Stratis Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
Saturday is "Teaneck Day" at the Rothman Center. Free admission to the doubleheader (Women's game at 2:00 p.m.) for all Teaneck residents.
 
The Knights enter Thursday's tilt in a three-way tie atop the Northeast Conference standings with the Blackbirds and Mount St. Mary's (8-12, 6-1 NEC).
 
Last season, the Knights won both games against the Blackbirds, taking the first game in Hackensack 101-95 and then completing the season sweep nine days later in Brooklyn with an 88-85 victory.
 
Notes:
FDU – LIU
 
Videos:
FDU Men's Basketball Report 1/18
NEC on the Run 1/19

Game Information:
Fairleigh Dickinson University (8-10, 6-1 NEC) vs. LIU Brooklyn (13-7, 6-1 NEC)
Where: Stratis Arena inside The Rothman Center – Hackensack, N.J.
When: Saturday, January 21 – 4:00 p.m.
Series History: FDU leads the all-time series 51-49
First Meeting:   Jan. 22, 1951 (LIU W, 97-48)
Last Meeting: Jan. 30, 2016– (FDU W, 88-85) 
Darian Anderson sank a jumper with 17 seconds remaining that gave the Knights (11-10, 7-3 NEC) an 86-85 lead and it proved to be the game-winner.

Trailing 85-84, the Knights inbounded from the corner with 26 seconds remaining, Anderson cut inside from the wing and pulled up for the go-ahead jumper. The FDU defense delivered a stop on the ensuing possession with Tyrone O'Garro securing the rebound after LIU's missed shot.  A pair of missed free throws by the Knights would give LIU a final chance with two seconds remaining, but pressure from Earl Potts Jr. prevented the Blackbirds from inbounding the ball. After the LIU turnover, Ghassan Nehme stepped to the line and hit two free throws to put the game away.


Broadcast Information:
Watch: NECFrontRow (Sitesh Shah PxP)
Stats: Live Stats

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LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds:
The Blackbirds enter Saturday's tilt as the hottest team in the NEC. The team has won six straight games with their last loss coming back on 12/29 to Mount St. Mary's (67-65).
 
Five of the team's first seven NEC games have been at home but they began the conference slate with a pair of road victories at Robert Morris (65-54) and Saint Francis U (83-70).
 
In their last outing, the team topped Wagner College 76-69 in Brooklyn. The Seahawks came back from a 13-point deficit to tie the game up with just two minutes left to play, but LIU was able to break away down the stretch.
 
Freshman Jashaun Agosto led all scorers with 19 points, along with a team-high four assists. Senior Jerome Frink scored in double digits for the 30th-straight game, with 15 points, along with seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Senior Iverson Fleming added 10 points and a team-high four assists.
 
The Blackbirds knocked down 50 percent of their shots in the win.

Notable Ranks:
Offensive Rebounds per game – NCAA 13^th/NEC 1^st
Rebound Margin -- +5.9 NCAA 43^rd/NEC 2^nd
Total Rebounds – 22^nd NCAA/NEC 1^st
Blocked Shots per game – NCAA 104^th/NEC 1^st
 
Head Coach: Jack Perri (Bentley '98)
Record at LIU: 78-76 (.506) – (Fifth Season)

Team Leaders:
Points: Jerome Frink 17.2 ppg
Rebounds: Jerome Frink 9.1 rpg
Assists: Jashaun Agosto 2.8 apg

Last Time Out for the Knights:
FDU maintained its place atop the Northeast Conference standings by rolling to a 57-40 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn at Stratis Arena on Thursday night.
 
For the second straight game, the Knights' (8-10, 6-1 NEC) defense was front and center as they set a new season-low for points allowed.
 
The Knights, who have grown accustomed to high-scoring games after leading the NEC in points per game last season, showed their ability to win low-scoring contests for the second straight outing as they won with 57 points after scoring 59 in Saturday's win over Central Connecticut State.
 
Mike Holloway narrowly missed a double-double with 13 points and nine boards on 6-of-10 from the field, while freshman forward Kaleb Bishop and junior guard Darian Anderson joined Holloway in double figures with 12 points apiece on the night. Bishop added six rebounds and sparked the defensive charge with a career-best five steals.
 
Herenda's Take: 
"We just need to get Mike Holloway and all the forwards the ball more and that will open things up for our guards. Give St. Francis tons of credit, they played so hard defensively and forced us into some difficult places."
 
"I am so proud of our practices and cannot thank my players enough for what they do each and every day and the last four halves show it. We are guarding and rebounding so much better and eventually our offense will follow suit."
 
"In Earl's absence, Kaleb is doing many things for us but his ability to rebound, score and steal the ball is special for such a young player."

News and Notes: 
 
Hot Start: At 6-1, the Knights are off to their best start in NEC play since the 2004-05 season when they started 7-1.
 
Defense Does It: Over the last two games, the Knights have limited their opponents to 43.5 ppg. They held CCSU to just 19 points in the second half on 1/14 and St.Francis to 17 first-half points last Thursday. The 17 points were the fewest they have conceded since January 15, 2000 when they held Sacred Heart to 16 in the second half of a 67-48 victory.
The 40 total points allowed to St. Francis are the fewest the Knights have surrendered since December 7, 1992 when they defeated NCAA Division III Montclair State University 79-38.
 
Freshman Flowing: First-year forward Kaleb Bishop helped the Knights force 19 turnovers against St. Francis last game by nabbing a career-high five steals. The five thefts are also the most by a Knight this season. Bishop has shown impressive flashes in his first season with the Knights including an 11-point, eight-rebound effort against Ohio State and a 13-point, seven-rebound effort against Iona.
 
Paint Prominence: Coach Herenda's emphasis on attacking the basket paid off in the win over St. Francis as the Knights dominated 36-6 in points in the paint. FDU also grabbed 43 rebounds their second most in a game this season.
 
Out in Front: The Knights are 5-1 this season when holding a lead at the half and 8-0 when leading with five minutes to go in the game.
 
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 guest is Tara Sullivan from the Bergen Record.
 
Next up:
The Knights head to Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. to take on St. Francis Brooklyn next Thursday, January 26^th at 7:00 p.m.