HACKENSACK, N.J. – On Saturday afternoon, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team hosts Mount St. Mary's in their final regular season home game of the season.
 
The Knights (11-15, 9-6 NEC) have dropped five of their last six games and are now part of a three-way tie for third place in the NEC standings along with Wagner and Saint Francis U. The squads trail LIU Brooklyn by one game for second place, while the Mount (14-14, 12-3 NEC) is three games up in first place.

Saturday is the second and final meeting between FDU and the Mountaineers this season. The Mount claimed a 77-70 victory in Emmitsburg, Md. back on January 12.
 
Prior to tip-off the Knights will honor graduate senior Tyrone O'Garro in the annual senior day festivities.
 
Notes:
FDU – Mount

Additional Content:
FDU Men's Basketball Report 2/15
NEC Weekly Release 
NEC Top 9 Plays – (Spoiler: Kaleb Bishop is No. 1)


Game Information:
Fairleigh Dickinson University (11-15, 9-7 NEC) vs. Mount St. Mary's (14-14, 12-3 NEC)
Where: Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center – Hackensack, N.J.
When: Thursday, February 16 – 7:00 p.m.
Series History: Today is the 56th meeting on the hardwood between the Knights and Mountaineers. FDU leads the all-time series 28-27
First Meeting:  Feb. 15, 1956 (MSM W, 97-65)
Last Meeting: Jan. 12, 2017 – (MSM W, 77-70) The Knights nearly overcame an 18-point deficit but ultimately came up short. The loss snapped the Knights' nine-game conference winning streak. 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.
 
Tickets: FDUKnightsTickets.com
Watch: NEC Front Row
Stats: Live Stats

Follow the Knights on Social Media:
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Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers:
The Mount dropped its last contest, falling at Wagner, 69-65 on Thursday night. The Mountaineers held a 36- 25 halftime lead, and led 49-39 with just over 13 minutes remaining before the Seahawks rallied for the win.  Junior Robinson led the Mount with 19 points and four assists while Mawdo Sallah added 14 points while grabbing nine boards.
 
Despite the loss, the Mount is still atop the NEC standings with three games to go. The 12 NEC wins are tied for the second-most by a Mount team since joining the NEC in 1989-90.
 
Saturday's game marks the end of a four-game road trip for the Mountaineers, who wrap up regular season action with home tilts against LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn.

Head Coach: Jamion Christian (Mount St. Mary's '04)
Record at Mount St. Mary's: 72-67 (.517) – (Fifth Season)

Team Leaders:
Points: Elijah Long 14.3 ppg
Rebounds: Chris Wray 6.0 rpg
Assists: Elijah Long 4.3 apg

Last Time Out for the Knights:
FDU had five players score in double figures but it was not enough as Sacred Heart topped the Knights 91-81 on Thursday night at the Pitt Center.
 
Earl Potts Jr. led the Knights with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Mike Holloway tallied his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
 
The Pioneers, who have now won five in a row, shot a blistering 61.5 percent in the first half and drew 29 fouls in the contest, resulting in 38 free throw attempts. It is the second game in a row that FDU has allowed its opponent to attempt 38 free throws.
 
Sophomore guard Quincy McKnight led all scorers with 26 points and nabbed six rebounds for SHU.
 
After allowing the Pioneers to nab 18 offensive rebounds in the first matchup, the Knights dominated the offensive glass with a 14-7 margin. Holloway's six offensive caroms majorly aided that figure. Overall, FDU edged the Pioneers 36-34 on the boards.
 
The Knights made 24-of-60 (40%) from the floor and knocked down 9-of-19 (47.4%) from behind the arc. Potts led the three-point shooting effort with a 4-of-6 performance, while sophomore guard Darnell Edge made 3-of-4 from long range and finished with 11 points.
 
Herenda's Take: 
"We just never guarded the ball tonight and that hasn't happened to us in a long time. Our defensive field goal percentages have shrunk all year but tonight that simply was not the case."
 
"When we cut it to four, I thought we were in a great place but we came up empty on consecutive possessions. Those possessions -- at that point -- decided the game."

"The great thing about this league is that you get back on the horse quickly and Saturday cannot come soon enough for us. We need to step up to the challenge on Senior Day for Tyrone O'Garro. It is a shame that he will not be able to play but he has already given everything that he could give to our basketball program and to our entire University. I will never forget how much he has meant to all of us here at Fairleigh Dickinson."


News and Notes: 

Where We Stand: Although the Knights have dropped five of their last six, they are still in position to host an NEC Tournament game with three regular season tests still remaining. FDU is tied for third with Wagner and Saint Francis U for third in the NEC standings. The top four teams will earn a first round home game in the Tournament. 
 
Home Cooking: The Knights are 7-3 at home this season and have outscored their opponents by 8.8 points per game inside the Rothman Center. They are also averaging two more assists per game and boast a +3.0 turnover margin in front of the home crowd. 
 
Potts at Top of The Mount: Earl Potts Jr. has enjoyed some of his best rebounding games against the Mountaineers lately including an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double last season. In the last three games against The Mount, the junior swingman is averaging 16.3 ppg and 9.3 rpg.
 
Charitable Donations: All season long the Knights have thrived at the free throw line. The team has posted a 76.0 percent clip overall, including a 79.0 percent effort in NEC play. Both figures are tops in the conference while the 75.9 percent overall number is 24^th best in the nation. Edge's 90.0 percent effort leads the team as the sophomore guard has only missed five times (40-of-45) at the charity stripe.
 
Second-Half Shooting: As a team, the Knights are shooting 46.7 percent from the floor in the second half compared to 41.9 percent in the first half. Stephan Jiggetts really dials it up in crunch time as the junior guard is shooting 46.4 percent in the latter stanza, more than 10 percent above his first-half clip.
 
Holloway Boards: Mike Holloway netted a double-double last time out with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Six of his 12 boards came on the offensive glass, the most by a Knight this season. 
 
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 to Western, Pa. for their final two games of the NEC regular season beginning on Thursday night against Robert Morris at 7 p.m. in Moon Township, Pa.