SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The first-place Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team heads up to Rhode Island on Saturday to take on Bryant University at 12 p.m.
 
This is the second meeting between the teams this season. Back on January 7 in Hackensack, the Knights held on for an 87-84 win after leading by 22 points at the half.
 
The game will not be broadcast on NEC Front Row but will be televised on MSG+.
 
Notes:
FDU –Bryant

NEC Weekly Release 

Videos:
FDU Men's Basketball Report 1/25
NEC on the Run
NEC Top 9 

Game Information:
Fairleigh Dickinson University (10-10, 8-1 NEC) at Bryant University (7-15, 4-5 NEC)
Where: Chace Athletic Center – Smithfield, R.I.
When: Saturday, January 21 – 4:00 p.m.
Series History: The all-time series is tied at 7-7
First Meeting:   Jan. 17, 2009 (Bryant W, 56-43)
Last Meeting: Jan. 7, 2017– (FDU W, 87-84) A blistering shooting performance in the first half propelled the Knights to the win at Stratis Arena. FDU nearly squandered a 22-point halftime lead but held off a furious rally by the Bulldogs to prevail with the win. Bryant fought its way to within one in the final minute and had a last-chance, half-court, game-tying 3-pointer sail off the mark as Fairleigh Dickinson escaped with the victory.

Broadcast Information:
Watch: MSG+/FCS
Dave Popkin (PxP), Terry O'Connor (Color), John Schmeelk (Sideline)
Stats: Live Stats

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Bryant University Bulldogs:
The Bulldogs have won two straight games and find themselves in the middle of the pack in the NEC standings.
 
The team featuers the NEC's leading scorer in Nisre Zouzoua, who is averaging 20 points per game, the leading assist man in Ikenna Ndugba who has dished out 85 assists on the season.
 
On Wednesday night, the Bulldogs knocked down 11 3-pointers in a 65-54 win at Central Connecticut State. The game saw six separate runs that were at least 8-0 or better and Bryant's 12-0 spurt in the game's final six minutes pushed them to the win.
 
Zouzoua netted his 12th 20-point game of the season with a game-high 24 on 8-of-18 shooting and three triples. Sophomore Taylor McHugh chipped in with a career-high 12 points behind three treys, while handing out six helpers and snaring four rebounds. Junior Bosko Kostur scored 15 points thanks to three triples of his own and a 6-for-6 effort from the foul line.
 
Notable Ranks:
Assist Turnover Ratio– 1.04 NCAA 167^th/NEC 1^st
Free Throws Made – 329 NCAA 90^th/NEC 1^st
Free Throw Percentage – 72.9 NCAA 83^rd/NEC 2^nd
3-point Field Goal Defense – 32.7 NCAA 88^th/NEC 2^nd
 
Head Coach: Tim O'Shea (Boston College '84)
Record at Bryant: 204-262 (.437) – (Ninth Season)

Team Leaders:
Points: Nisre Zouzoua 20.0 ppg
Rebounds: Marcel Pettway 6.5 rpg
Assists: Ikenna Ndugba 4.3 apg

Last Time Out for the Knights:
Junior guard Stephan Jiggetts scored a career-high 28 points -- including the Knights' last nine -- as FDU topped St. Francis Brooklyn 79-73 at Pope P.E. Center on Thursday night.
After struggling early on, the Knights (10-10, 8-1 NEC) shot 57.7 percent from the field in the second half. The NEC's top-shooting free throw team also continued its success at the line as the Knights connected on 20-of-23 (87%).
 
Jiggetts netted 19 of his 28 points in the second half and made 8-of-14 from the field and all 10 of his free throws. The junior guard's play down the stretch pushed the Knights to the win as he connected on three huge buckets in the final minutes.
 
The win was also the Knights' first in the Pope Center in their last five tries. Sophomore forward Mike Holloway nabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for FDU as they out-rebounded the Terriers (4-18, 2-7 NEC) 41-34 on the night. Holloway added eight points to his ledger, while freshman forward Kaleb Bishop netted a career-high 15 points and Darnell Edge had 13.
 
Bishop's 15 points came in highlight-reel fashion as he delivered three emphatic dunks in the win. The freshman forward nabbed seven rebounds and Edge tallied eight on the night.
 
 
Herenda's Take: 
"The MVP tonight goes to our trainer -- Amanda Livsey. She did an incredible job getting Stephan back on the floor after he took a shot to the eye.
 
"I cannot say enough about Steph's game tonight -- he single-handedly led us to victory -- he was special," coach Greg Herenda said following the win."
 
"It was also great to get Earl (Potts Jr.) back on the floor again. He hit a few huge three's and came up with the biggest loose ball of the game late. I have to get Earl and Kaleb on the floor at the same time. This team is still a work in progress but it sure is a fun process."


News and Notes: 
 
Best Start: At 8-1, the Knights have matched their best NEC start in school history. The 1997-98 Knights also began the conference slate 8-1.
 
NEC Player of the Week: Junior guard Darian Anderson was named NEC Player of the Week this week for the second time this season. Anderson helped the Knights to a 2-0 week by averaging 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals per contest. Against LIU Anderson scored a game-high 25 points on just nine shots, while adding nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.
 
Anderson has come up with at least one steal in the last 11 games and has a theft in 17 of the team's 20 games this season. His 146 career steals is 4th most in school history.
 
Defense Does It: Last Thursday, the Knights held St.Francis to 17 first-half points. 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.
 
The NEC Road: Across their last 14 conference road games, the Knights are 11-3, which is the 16th best mark in the nation over that span.
 
Mike's Makes: Sophomore forward Mike Holloway has made 64.7 percent of his shots in conference play this season. Holloway is an impressive 44-for-68 in conference games, which is tops in the NEC.
 
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 his career-best 15 points on Thursday against SFC.
 
Charitable Donations: All season long the Knights have thrived at the free throw line. The team has posted a 76 percent clip overall, including a 81.1 percent effort in NEC play. Both figures are tops in the conference while the 76 percent overall number is 27th best in the nation. 
 
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.
 
Next up:
The Knights head back to New Jersey for a three-game homestand beginning on Thursday, February 2 against Sacred Heart at 7 p.m.