Game 18
Fairleigh Dickinson (5-12, 2-4 NEC) vs Central Connecticut St. (9-10, 2-4 NEC)
Date: Thursday, January 18, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Detrick Gymnasium - New Britain, Conn.
Coverage: NEC Front Row

The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team closes out its regular-season series with the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils on Thursday night at Detrick Gymnasium.
 
The Series...FDU leads 25-17
at CCSU..10-10
Last Five...5-0
Streak...W7
Last Meeting...FDU 81, CCSU 77 (1/4/18 at FDU)
 
Opening Tip: The Knights will look to snap a three-game skid when they close their regular-season series with the Blue Devils on Thursday night. They carry a three-game skid into Thursday's matchup with their last NEC win coming against these Blue Devils back on January 4 at the Rothman Center. Freshman forward Noah Morgan led the charge in the victory by scoring 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while classmate Jahlil Jenkins scored 12 with four rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Knights forced 22 turnovers in the victory after overcame a three-point halftime deficit to come away with the win. 
 
<> The Knights will need to keep the Blue Devils off of the foul line to get the win as they have allowed each of their three opponents to shoot 30+ free throws across the three-game losing streak.
 
<> The Blue Devils defeated Bryant 80-76 on Saturday to end a four-game skid of their own. They are 2-1 in NEC home games this season with wins coming over Saint Francis U and the aforemetioned Bulldogs. 
 
<> In the win over Bryant, junior forward Tyler Kohl amssed a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Kohl, who missed the first game between these teams, leads the Blue Devils in points per game (14.5), rebounds (8.1), and assists (3.8)
 
<> FDU head coach Greg Herenda is 8-1 in his career against the Blue Devils and has won seven straight in the series.
 
<> Second-year CCSU head coach Donyell Marshall has earned nine victories this season after his squad won six games a season ago.
 
Holloway Leading the Way: Junior forward Mike Holloway is on a roll as of late, tallying double-doubles in each of the Knights' last two outings. Holloway was named an NEC Prime Performer for his work last week as he averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds on a robust 58.1 percent shooting effort. The Pittsgrove, New Jersey native went off for 24 points and 13 rebounds on Saturday against Robert Morris to help lead the Knights to a 41-34 advantage on the glass.
 
Balanced Scoring: Four Knights are averaging double figures in scoring this season. In 11 of the Knights' 17 games four or more players have scored in double figures.  The team has logged five in double figures three different times this season including seven double-digit scorers against Kean.
 
Turn Them Over: The Knights have relied on their ability to turn over the opponent this season. They force a turnover on 21 percent of possessions and boast a 10.9 percent steal rate, which is 30th best in the nation. The team has five or more steals in all but one game this season.
 
Herenda vs CCSU: Head Coach Greg Herenda is 8-1 all-time against the Blue Devils and has won seven straight meetings. Last season in New Britain the Knights held the Blue Devils to just 47 points including 19 second-half points in a 59-47 victory.
 
Elite Ely: Freshman forward Elyjah Williams logged a career-high 29 minutes against Robert Morris on Saturday and just missed his first collegiate double-double finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds. Williams has been incredibly efficient in his first season at FDU shooting 68.1 percent on the season 32-of-47.
 
Up Next: The Knights return home to host Mount St. Mary's this Saturday, January 20 at 4:30 p.m.