Game 25
Fairleigh Dickinson (9-15, 6-7 NEC) at Wagner (18-6, 11-2 NEC)
Date: Sunday, February 11, 2018
Time: 2:05 p.m.
Location: Rothman Center - Hackensack, N.J.


Coverage: CBS Sports Network
Talent: Dave Popkin (PxP), Tim Capstraw (Color), Paul Dottino (Sideline)

The Knights welcome the first-place Wagner Seahawks to the Rothman Center on Sunday afternoon. At halftime, the Knights will retire FDU Hall of Famer Rich Conrad's No. 40 jersey with a banner ceremony. In addition, the first 500 fans in attendance will receive a white-out t-shirt.

The Series...Wagner leads 55-52
at FDU...FDU 30, Wagner 26
Last Five...FDU 2, Wagner 3
Streak... L3
Last Meeting...FDU 65, Wagner 73 (1/6/18 at Wagner)
Opening Tip: The Knights are looking to win three straight games for the first time this season when they welcome the first-place Seahawks to the Rothman Center on Saturday.
<> The Knights are 6-4 at home this season, while the Seahawks have a 5-6 road record.
<> The Knights enter Saturday's game seventh in the NEC with a one-game lead over CCSU for the eighth and final postseason spot.
<> All five FDU starters scored in double figures last time out and the team averages six in double figures in NEC games this season.
<> Junior guard Darnell Edge has made 35 consecutive free throws and has just three misses on the season (94.8%).
<> The Knights currently rank second in the NEC with 7.71 steals per game. Both teams have limited the opposition this season as the Knights are third in the conference holding their foes to 43.9% FG, while Wagner is tops in the league at 39.5%.
<> The Seahawks are the hottest team in the NEC right now having won seven straight contests and are 13-0 on their home floor. Their +8.2 scoring margin is nearly seven points better than the next NEC team.
<> Guard Blake Francis leads the team and is third in the NEC with 18.2 points per game, while senior guard JoJo Cooper tops the conference with 6.4 assists per contest.
<> The two squads have met in each of the last two NEC tournaments with the Knights capturing the 2016 NEC title and the Seahawks earning a 72-70 first-round win last season.

Knights Last Time Out:
All five Fairleigh Dickinson starters scored in double figures in the Knights' 77-67 victory over Sacred Heart at the Rothman Center on Thursday night. Freshman forward Noah Morgan led the charge by matching his career-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while sophomore forward Kaleb Bishop amassed his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 boards.

The Knights shot 51.7 percent from the field and turned 13 Sacred Heart turnovers into 22 points. Freshman guard Jahlil Jenkins nabbed two of the Knights' seven steals and scored 15 with five assists and three rebounds, while junior guard Darnell Edge scored 17 in the victory. The four aforementioned starters along with Mike Holloway Jr.'s 12-point, five-rebound performance amounted to all 77 points scored by the Knights in the contest. Sacred Heart (8-18, 3-10 NEC) redshirt senior forward Mario Matasovic led all scorers with 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the loss.

Herenda Postgame:
"We are starting to find a formula for success. We are getting off to good starts and gaining more and more confidence as we go deeper into games. It really feels like December with this team. Once Darian went down, we had to move some parts around and now we are starting to gel. This is a very young talented group but we still need to keep on improving."

"I don't think I've ever coached in a game where my team had all five starters get double figures and not a single point from the bench but I'll take it."

It was great to get the crowd involved with Noah's three and then Kaleb's dunk brought the house down. Now, we need to pack the house for No. 40 on Sunday and give Rich Conrad and his family the respect that they so much deserve."

Knights vs Seahawks
Last Five Meetings:
1/6/18: FDU 65, WAG 73 (at Wagner)
3/1/17: FDU 70, WAG 72 (at Wagner)
2/4/17: FDU 59, WAG 68 (at FDU)
1/5/17: FDU 70, WAG 69 (at Wagner)
3/8/16: FDU 87, WAG 79 (at Wagner)

Last Meeting Recap:
After shooting 51 percent from the floor in the first half, the Knights (5-10, 2-2 NEC) were limited to just five field goals on 20 attempts over the first 15 minutes of the second half as the Seahawks erased a three-point halftime deficit and captured a double-digit lead. The Knights would get within one possession in the final two minutes but were unable to tie the game or take the lead again. Wagner's defensive pressure in the second half and a 35-9 advantage at the free throw line proved to be the difference in the contest. The Knights connected on 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) at the charity stripe, while the Seahawks scored 26 times on their 35 attempts equating to 74.3 percent. Senior guard Darian Anderson led all scorers with 21 points to go along with four assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds. Darnell Edge, who finished with 18 points and five boards on the afternoon.

Next Up: The Knights are on the road for their next two contests beginning next Thursday, February 15 when they travel to Emmitsburg, Maryland to take on Mount St. Mary's.