HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team hosts Georgian Court in its final non-conference game of the season and final game of the 2018 calendar Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
 
The game will be streamed live for free on NEC FrontRow, and live stats will be available at fduknights.com for fans that cannot attend the game in the Rothman Center.
 
ENTERING THE KNIGHT
The Knights (2-8) return home after a five-game road swing that concluded with a 75-58 loss at Saint Peter's on December 21. Three different Knights scored in double figures, led by junior Lauren Francillon with 16 points and eight rebounds to go with four steals. Francillon has scored in double figures in consecutive games after only reaching 10+ points once in seven games to start the year. Senior Natalie Zamora recorded 13 points and six rebounds to go with two assists and three steals while making 6-of-8 free throws.
 
CLARK'S NIGHT
Junior Jenna Clark started for the first time this season at Saint Peter's and turned in a career-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including two three-pointers. Clark also gathered four rebounds to go with an assist and a steal in 24 minutes.
 
BLOCK PARTY
The Knights remain atop the league lead in blocks per game (4.6) and recorded four blocks against Saint Peter's, making it nine of 10 games this season with at least four blocks as a team. Sophomore Madison Stanley ranks fifth in the NEC with a team-best 11 blocks (1.1 per game), and freshman Lindsey Mack is tied for the most blocks among freshmen in the league with nine.
 
ZAMORA STEALS THE SHOW
Senior Natalie Zamora leads the NEC with 2.4 steals per game, recording multiple steals in eight of 10 games this season. Zamora earned three steals against Saint Peter's after tying her season-high of four steals in the previous game at Stony Brook.
 
SO LONG 2018
The Knights close the 2018 calendar with their game Saturday against Georgian Court. Over the course of the calendar year, the Knights went 9-17 (7-9 in NEC games) which included a five-game conference winning streak beginning with a 78-49 home victory over Central Connecticut along with wins over Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, LIU Brooklyn and Bryant.
 
POSSESSION IS KEY
The Knights are one of the best teams in Division I in limiting turnovers, ranking 24th in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (14.1). Consequently, the Knights are also among the best teams in the NEC in forcing turnovers, ranking second in the league in steals per game (9.4) with a turnover margin of +3.6, tied for first in the NEC.
 
THE MARCH TO 500
As a program, the Knights are two wins away (498) from reaching 500 victories. The team has played a total of 1,172 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, January 5, at Saint Francis U, which is also the team's NEC opener.
 
SERIES SCORE
Fairleigh Dickinson last played Georgian Court back in 1978, winning by a score of 86-25. The Knights faced the Lions in their second season ever as a program. Georgian Court, which plays in the Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, is the second non-Division I opponent for the Knights this season. The Knights already defeated Division III foe Rutgers-Newark in the season-opener, 97-51.
 
SCOUTING GEORGIAN COURT
The Lions (2-8) have lost all eight games played outside of their conference but are 2-0 in CACC play thus far. The Lions have scored 88 points in each of their two victories but have only topped 65 points in one of their eight losses this season. Three different Lions have scoring averages in double figures, led by Jada Atchison with 14.9 points per game. Safiyyah Lee, who averages 10.4 points per game, leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game, and Destiny Thompson also scores 14.7 points per game on average. Last season, Georgian Court finished with a 5-21 overall record and a 3-16 conference mark.
 
AROUND THE NEC
Sacred Heart and LIU Brooklyn each also finish out non-conference play Saturday, and three more NEC teams (Robert Morris, Bryant and St. Francis Brooklyn) wrap up non-league play on Sunday. Mount St. Mary's plays the final non-conference game on Wednesday, and the first slate of NEC games begin Saturday, January 5, with FDU traveling to defending league champion Saint Francis U for a 4 p.m. game.