HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball welcomes its first Northeast Conference opponent of 2019 to the Rothman Center on Thursday night when the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils come to town.

Game 15
Fairleigh Dickinson (6-8, 1-1 NEC)
vs Central Connecticut (6-9, 0-2 NEC)
Date: Thursday, January 10
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Rothman Center (Hackensack, N.J.)
Coverage: NEC Front Row | Live Stats

The Series
All-Time Series...25-18
at Fairleigh Dickinson...15-6
Last Five..4-1
Streak..L1
Last Meeting...CCSU 66, FDU 65 (1/18/18 at CCSU)
The Knights battled to overcome a nine-point, second-half deficit but ultimately came up just shy as CCSU's Deion Bute's dunk with three seconds remaining put the home team in front for good.
 
The Blue Devils led for the first 39:50 of the game until Bishop calmly drained a pair at the line to give the Knights their first lead of the contest, 65-64, with 10 seconds to play. After a timeout, the Blue Devils drew up the game-winning play with Tyler Kohl driving to the rim and dishing off to Bute for the game-winning slam.
 
Four Knights scored in double figures led by Bishop's 18 points. The forward was 6-of-14 from the field with eight rebounds and two steals and connected on both of his tries from three-point range. Mike Holloway Jr. scored 14 with seven rebounds.
 
Bute led the way for the Blue Devils with 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting, while senior guard Mustafa Jones finished with 14 points and six rebounds. The Knights finished at 41.7 percent for the game but struggled from deep, hitting 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) from behind the arc.
 
Opening Tip

• The Knights are set for their first home game of 2019 when they welcome the Blue Devils to the Rothman Center on Thursday. Four of the Knights' first five games are away from home.
• The Burgundy and Blue have won eight of the last 10 meetings between the two teams.
• Last time out, the Knights defeated preseason NEC favorite Saint Francis U by 18 points -- their largest margin of victory against an NEC program since topping CCSU by 19 points on Jan. 6, 2016
• Four players are averaging double figures in points for FDU this season: Darnell Edge, Xzavier Malone-Key, Jahlil Jenkins and Mike Holloway Jr. 
• Sophomore guard Xzavier Malone-Key has registered 10 or more points in 11 of his 13 games this season and ranks second in the NEC with a 49.2 field goal percentage.
• The key to the Knights' defense this season has been their 8.9 steals per game average, which leads the NEC and ranks 22nd in the nation. They also are 82nd in the country in turnover margin (+2.4).

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.
• Donyell Marshall is in his third season as head coach of the Blue Devils. Last season, Marshall guided the team back to the NEC Tournament for the first time in four years. Following a successful 15-year playing career in the NBA, Marshall served as an assistant coach at both the NCAA Division I and professional levels. Before taking charge of the Blue Devils, Marshall was on the staff at Buffalo, Rider and George Washington. He is one of just six players in NBA history to have 10,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 750 blocks and 750 three-pointers in a career. He played with eight NBA franchises during his career and appeared in the 2007 NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Marshall scored 1,648 points, while starring collegiately at UConn.

 
Scouting Central Connecticut
The Blue Devils enter Thursday's contest in the midst of a three-game skid and last weekend dropped their NEC opening games to Wagner (80-58) and Sacred Heart (73-61). The team's non-conference slate was highlighted by wins over Hartofrd, Florida A&M and a double-overtime. NEC All-Preseason Team honoree Tyler Kohl leads the team after an All-NEC Second Team campaign last season. The senior averages 18.0 points per game, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists  and ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and free throw percentage. At 75.4 percent on the season, the Blue Devils are the top free-throw shooting team in the NEC.
 
Knights Last Time Out
The Knights led by as many as 28 points and earned their first NEC win of the season, 79-61, at Saint Francis U on Saturday night.
 
Darnell Edge led the balanced attack with 17 points as the Knights registered five
scorers in double figures for the sixth time this season.
 
Xzavier Malone-Key tallied 14 points and five assists, Jahlil Jenkins and Mike Holloway Jr. each netted 13 points and Elyjah Williams totaled 10 points, five boards and four assists in the victory.
 
The team's balance spread to the glass, where Holloway, Williams and Kaleb Bishop each nabbed five rebounds. After leaving the game at Robert Morris with an injury, Bishop returned to action on Saturday and scored nine points on 4-of-5 from the field.
 
The 18-point margin of victory is the most by the Knights in an NEC game since they defeated Central Connecticut by 19 two seasons ago.
 
At 57.9 percent from the field, the Knights logged their highest field goal percentage of the season and continued their defensive pressure by forcing the Red Flash (5-9, 1-1 NEC) to commit 18 turnovers.
 
Coach Herenda's Thoughts
"I am so happy for every player on our team, we just went through a gauntlet on the road and didn't have much to show for it and we came into a very difficult building and beat a very, very good team. We played very hard and we guarded and shared the ball from start to finish. We just about had six guys in double figures and what Kaleb did on a sprained ankle was special. It was all about team tonight and on both ends of the floor we were very solid. We need to continue to improve because every night in this conference you have to bring it and tonight we did."
 
Next Up
The Knights return to the road to take on Wagner this Saturday, January 12. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m. in Staten Island.