HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team looks to snap its modest two-game skid when it travels to Brooklyn on Saturday for a rematch of last year's NEC Semifinal matchup with the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds.

Game 17
Fairleigh Dickinson (6-10, 1-3 NEC)
at LIU Brooklyn (8-8, 2-2 NEC)
Date: Saturday, January 19
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Steinberg Wellness Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Coverage: NEC Front Row | Live Stats

The Series
All-Time Series...53-52
at LIU Brooklyn...26-27
Last Five..2-3
Streak..L2
Last Meeting...LIU Brooklyn 78, Fairleigh Dickinson 77 (3/3/18 at LIU)
The fourth-seeded Blackbirds prevailed by one point in the NEC semifinal matchup and went on to win the NEC title over Wagner.
 
The Knights received a monstrous 19-point, 22-rebound effort from Kaleb Bishop but ultimately came up short in a game that came down the final seconds. Bishop's 22 rebounds are a school record for the Knights.
 
With just over a minute to play, Julian Batts knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game at 76-76. Then, Holloway split a pair at the line to put the Knights in front 77-76. After a defensive stop, the Knights had a chance to extend the lead to three but Bishop missed both of his free throw attempts. On the ensuing possession, Agosto drove to the rim, drew a foul and promptly converted both tries at the line to put his team up one.
 
Raiquan Clark and Joel Hernandez combined for 53 of LIU Brooklyn's 77 points but it was a pair of Jashaun Agosto free throws with 3.6 seconds to go that was the difference in the victory. Four Knights scored in double figures led by Darnell Edge's 23 points and five rebounds. Forward Mike Holloway Jr. scored 16 with seven boards.
 
Opening Tip

• Saturday concludes a stretch of six out of seven road games for the Knights.
• Last time out, the Knights suffered a six-point setback at NEC foe Wagner. In the loss at Wagner, second-year guard Xzavier Malone-Key netted a career-best 24 points.
• Tonight's contest marks a rematch of last year's NEC Semifinal matchup in Brooklyn, in which the host Blackbirds prevailed 78-77 with the go-ahead point in the final seconds.
• In that NEC Semifinal, Kaleb Bishop pulled down an FDU single-game record 22 rebounds, while adding 19 points. The 22 boards are also an NEC Tournament record.
• In the three meetings between LIU and FDU last season, Mike Holloway Jr. averaged 20.3 ppg and nine rebounds.
• Four players are averaging double figures in points for FDU this season: Darnell Edge, Xzavier Malone-Key, Jahlil Jenkins and Mike Holloway Jr. In NEC games,  that double figures average is five with Kaleb Bishop joining the aforementioned group.
• The key to the Knights' defense this season has been their 8.6 steals per game average, which leads the NEC and ranks 25th in the nation. They also are 67th in the country in turnover margin (+2.6).

 
The Coaches

• Head Coach Greg Herenda is in his sixth season at the helm of the Knights. Last season, the Knights enjoyed their third consecutive .500 or better season in NEC play as Herenda led the team to a 9-9 conference mark. Under Herenda, the Knights have qualified for the NEC Tournament in four of his five seasons, including a 2016 NEC Championship when the team earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament featuring the third-youngest team in the nation.
• In his first season with the Blackbirds, Derek Kellogg led the team to a  NEC Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Prior to his arrival in Brooklyn, Kellogg served for nine seasons as the head coach at UMass.  Before that, he served for eight seasons as an assistant under head coach John Calipari at Memphis. Kellogg graduated from UMass in 1995 and was named a 1995 Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection. His teams won all four A10 titles, while playing under coach Calipari. 

Scouting LIU Brooklyn
The defending NEC Champions enter Saturday's contest after splitting a pair of NEC home games last week. The Blackbirds, who are playing their third of four consecutive home games, fell 74-67 to Saint Francis U and defeated Robert Morris 80-73 in last week's action. Raiquan Clark and Jashaun Agosto were the catalysts in the win over the Colonials as the duo combined for 45 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds on 16-of-22 shooting. Clark has been the focal point of the Blackbirds' attack this season and is averaging an NEC-best 21.4 points per game on 53.9 percent shooting, which is third in the conference. As a team, the Blackbirds rank third in the NEC in field goal defense (43.9 percent) thanks in part to a conference-leading 4.8 blocked shots per game. Sophomore transfer Ty Flowers leads the defensive effort with 1.2 blocks per outing. The Blackbirds close out the homestand on Monday with their borough-foe, St. Francis Brooklyn.
 
Knights Last Time Out
Malone-Key finished with a career-high 24 points but the Knights fell to Wagner 66-60 at Spiro Sports Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Knights trailed by as many as 17 points in the game and closed to within four in the second half but were unable to ever capture the lead. Malone-Key's career-high point total came on a 10-of-16 shooting performance as the Philadelphia native drained four shots from behind the arc.
 
Coming off of the bench for the first time since his freshman season and just the third team in his career, senior forward Mike Holloway Jr. finished with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting and converted 7-of-8 at the free throw line.
 
For the Seahawks (8-7, 3-1 NEC), Romone Saunders recorded a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds to go along with five assists and three steals, while Elijah Davis made 7-of-10 from the field and finished with 20 points. Saunders' 11 boards helped the home team win the battle on the glass 38-22 and overcome 20 turnovers.
 
In the second half, the Knights sliced into the deficit and eventually trailed by four, 60-56, after a dunk by Malone-Key with 4:36 to play. Davis answered the jam with a 3-pointer and the Seahawks' defense proceeded to hold the Knights scoreless over the next three minutes as they solidified the win.
 
Coach Herenda's Thoughts
"That was an old-school rivalry game today. Both teams played very hard and competed. The difference was about three or four possessions that we were not able to capitalize on and they did. We are paying our dues now but our time will come. I just like the way we responded and fought today. It's a long haul here in the NEC and you really cannot overreact one way or the other."
 
Up Next
The Knights return home to host Mount St. Mary's on Monday in a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day afternoon contest at 2:00 p.m.