HACKENSACK, N.J. -- A pair of home games await the Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team this weekend. The Knights host Bryant on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Central Connecticut on Monday at 5 p.m. Both games will be played at the Rothman Center and shown live on NECFrontRow.com.
QUICK HITTERS
Fairleigh Dickinson has already surpassed last year's win total with its ninth win on Saturday at Wagner.
FDU was last over .500 in the month of Janaury back in Janaury 2013 when the Knights sat at 8-7 after beating Robert Morris on 1/14.
The Knights play their next three games at home; vs Bryant, Central Connecticut, and Sacred Heart. FDU is 6-3 on its home court.
Only two Saturday games so far this season for the Knights and they have won both; 60-51 vs UMass Lowell (12/9) and 74-64 at Wagner (1/6).
FDU is 9-0 when it leads at the half. The Knights were up two, 36-34, on Wagner Saturday.
SERIES SCORE
Bryant has won nine straight in the series against Fairleigh Dickinson and are 12-4 all-time against the Knights. The Knights' last win came at Bryant back in the 2011-12 season, 54-43. Both meetings last season were decided by single digits. Bryant beat FDU at the buzzer last season up in Smithfield, Rhode Island, 50-48.
LAST TIME OUT
FDU had a chance to tie the game in the final 30 seconds at Mount St. Mary's, but a pair of shots by Kamrin Weimer that were off the mark and Mount St. Mary's got the 55-52 win. The Knights had a chance to take the lead when they were trying to inbound the ball with 28 seconds left. However, Mount St. Mary's forced a five-second violation by the Knights. Fairleigh Dickinson had battled back from being down 13 to take a 44-43 lead with 6:31 left. The game was then tied at 50 and 52 before the final sequence. The Mount would then hit two free throws at the end. Amina Markovic led all scorers with 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds. No other Knight was in double figures.
ABOUT BRYANT
The Bulldogs sit at 2-12 overall and 1-2 in NEC playing entering Saturday. Bryant beat Central Connecticut on Saturday, which snapped a six-game slide. Sydney Holloway leads the offense for Bryant at 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Those averages put the sophomore third and first in the NEC respectively. Naomi Ashley is second on the team in scoring at 9.3 per contest and is shooting close to 40-percent from the floor while being the top thief in the league with 3.2 steals per game. Kierra Palmer is the leading passer on the squad at an even four assists per game this season.
ABOUT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT
The Blue Devils sit at 1-13 overall and is 1-2 in the NEC like Bryant. CCSU hosts Sacred Heart on Saturday before coming down to Hackensack on Monday evening to play the Knights. Central Connecticut's lone win came at Wagner, 59-56, back on December 31. Kiana Paterson leads the Blue Devils in scoring at 12.0 per contest. Andi Lydon is also in double figures at 11.4. Lydon pulls down five rebounds a game, which leads the team.
AMERICAN TOP 40
FDU is 32nd in Division I in 3-point shooting at 37.1-percent. The Knights have had seven games where they have hit over 40-percent from behind the arc.
NEW FOUND TOUCH
FDU has shot over 44-percent from the field in a game eight times this season already, which is more than all of last year. FDU is shooting over 42.2-percent this year. The same can be said for the Knights from three. FDU is hitting 37.1-percent of its attempts from behind the arc this season compared to 26-percent a season ago.
