HACKENSACK, N.J. – After an extended break, the Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team returns to game action Friday, December 21, when it travels down the New Jersey Turnpike to take on Saint Peter's at 7 p.m.
 
A free live stream and live stats for the game will be provided by Saint Peter's at saintpeterspeacocks.com.
 
ENTERING THE KNIGHT
The Knights (2-7) will be playing in their first game since December 8 when they fell on the road to Stony Brook, 63-49. The Knights ended the game with a furious run, outscoring the Seawolves 19-6 in the fourth period and scoring the final 10 points of the game. The Knights shot almost 50 percent from the floor (47.6) and 37.5 percent from deep in the latter half in outscoring Stony Brook by 10.
 
20 FOR M'BIKATA
Senior Peniel M'Bikata continued her scoring streak with her sixth straight game in double figures at Stony Brook, pouring in a career-high 20 points to lead the Knights. M'Bikata made 7-of-13 field goals and three triples, scoring nine of her 20 points in the fourth quarter. The senior has scored in double figures in seven of nine games this season and leads the team in scoring (12.6 points per game) and three-point shooting (17-42, .405), ranking eighth in the Northeast Conference in scoring.
 
POSSESSION IS KEY
The Knights are one of the best teams in Division I in limiting turnovers, ranking 17th in the nation in turnovers while placing 30th in fewest turnovers per game (13.6). Consequently, the Knights are also among the best teams in the NEC in forcing turnovers, ranking second in the league in steals per game (9.1) with a turnover margin of +4.0, second-best in the NEC. Senior Natalie Zamora has played a big role in helping create turnovers on defense, leading the NEC with 2.3 steals per game.
 
BLOCK PARTY
FDU is the best shot-blocking team in the NEC, recording 4.7 blocks per game through nine games. Sophomore Madison Stanley leads the team with 1.1 blocks per game, and freshman Lindsey Mack averages a block per game and is first among NEC freshmen in shot blocking. Junior Lauren Francillon and senior Madelynn Comly each have six blocks as well, and the team has recorded at least four blocks in eight of nine games this season.
 
THE MARCH TO 500
As a program, the Knights are two wins away (498) from reaching 500 victories. The team has played in a total of 1,171 games since beginning the program in 1977. Over the previous 498 victories, the Knights have won 214 NEC games and 120 games in Peter Cinella's tenure as head coach. Two straight wins would mean the Knights reach the 500-win mark in their following game on Saturday, December 29, against Georgian Court in the Rothman Center.
 
SERIES SCORE
Saint Peter's leads the all-time series with FDU, 18-7, but the Knights have won seven of the last nine meetings between the two New Jersey schools. This year marks the 12th straight year the two teams will face each other in the regular season. Last year, the Knights won 69-59 in the Rothman Center, with three different players scoring in double figures, including Comly and Francillon with 11 points. Saint Peter's won the last time these two teams met in Jersey City, 65-43, in 2016. The Knights are 3-8 all-time vs. Saint Peter's when playing on the road.
 
SCOUTING SAINT PETER'S
The Peacocks (4-6) under first-year head coach Marc Mitchell are off to one of their best starts in recent history, including a 4-2 mark that was the best six-game start to a season since 2007. Saint Peter's has lost four straight games since then, most recently falling to St. Francis Brooklyn by a score of 74-70. Two of the Peacocks' four wins this season came against NEC foes Wagner and LIU Brooklyn as well as wins over previous FDU opponents NJIT and Lafayette. Zoe Pero leads the Peacocks in scoring (13.8 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg) and blocks (10) while Briyanah Richardson dishes out 4.0 assists per game and scores 13.6 points per game as well. Saint Peter's was picked to finish 11th in the MAAC preseason poll after going 4-26 last season.
 
AROUND THE NEC
Two other NEC teams play on the final day of games for league teams before the holiday break. Saint Francis U plays at ACC-foe Pittsburgh, while Wagner hosts College of Staten Island. Conference games begin in two weeks, with FDU traveling to Saint Francis U for its first NEC game of the 2018-19 season.