HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team opens up the second half of the Northeast Conference slate and looks to extend its win streak to five when the first-place Robert Morris Colonials come to the Rothman Center on Saturday afternoon.

At halftime of Saturday's contest, the Knights will honor FDU Hall of Famer, Lee Shulman with a jersey retirement ceremony. A banner with Shulman's No. 10 jersey will rise to the rafters of Stratis Arena.

The Knights and Colonials are set to tip-off at approximately 4:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the FDU/RMU women's game at 2:00 p.m.

Game 22
Fairleigh Dickinson (10-11, 5-4 NEC)
vs. Robert Morris (12-10, 7-2 NEC)
Date: Saturday, February 2
Time: 4:30 PM
Location: Rothman Center (Hackensack, N.J.) 
Coverage: NEC Front Row | Live Stats
Talent: Sitesh Shah and Darryl Jacobs

The Series
All-Time Series...32-46
at FDU..20-21
Last Five..2-3
Streak..L1
Last Meeting...Robert Morris 69, Fairleigh Dickinson 62 (1/3/19 at RMU)
The Colonials previaled by seven in the NEC opener back on January 3. True to form, the Knights, who entered the game ranked inside the nation's top-30 in steals, forced 24 turnovers but uncharacteristically turned the ball over 22 times themselves in the loss.
Mike Holloway Jr. scored a team-high 18 points for the Knights, while Jahlil Jenkins added 17 points with three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

The loss marked the first in an NEC opener for Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Greg Herenda, who entered the night with a 5-0 record. The Colonials logged four players in double figures, led by Matty McConnell and Charles Bain, who scored 15 apiece and combined to hit 9-of-11 from the field. The home team also shot 55.8 percent overall in the contest and out-rebounded the Knights 27-24.

Opening Tip

• In a game which was broadcast on ESPNU, the Knights extended their win streak to four on Thursday by defeating LIU Brooklyn 80-77.
• At 5-4, the Knights are part of a five-way tie for second place with the group trailing first-place Robert Morris by two games.
• Inside the Rothman Center this season, the Knights are averaging nearly 82 points per game and hold a 7-3 record.
• This is the second meeting between the Knights and Colonials this season as RMU topped FDU 69-62 in the NEC opener.
• The Knights lead the NEC in FG% (46.9%), 3-PT FG% (37.2%), Assist/Turnover ratio (1.1), Steals (8.1) and Turnover Margin (2.3)
• Five Knights are averaging double figures in points this season: Darnell Edge, Xzavier Malone-Key, Jahlil Jenkins and Mike Holloway Jr. and Kaleb Bishop. the Knights are the only team in the NEC and one of only 25 in the nation in that class.
• Jenkins is everaging 12.5 points, 6.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game over the Knights' four-game win streak as FDU has out-scored its opponents by 9.5 points per contest.
• The key to the Knights' defense this season has been their 8.1 steals per game average, which leads the NEC and ranks 28th in the nation. They also are 60th in the country in turnover margin (+2.3).
   

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.
• Andy Toole is in his ninth season as head coach of the Colonials and boasts a 162-133 (.548) overall record, including a mark of 98-53 (.649) against Northeast Conference opponents. Toole played collegiately at both Elon and University of Pennsylvania and was an All-Ivy League First Team honoree in 2001-02. Toole, who spent one season as an assistant at Lafayette prior to three seasons as an assistant at RMU, is a New Jersey native and attended Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, N.J

Scouting Robert Morris
The Colonials enter Saturday's contest atop the NEC standings at 7-2. After winning four straight games, the Colonials fell to Saint Francis U 76-73 on Thursday night, which capped a three-game homestand. Despite the loss, the Colonials still hold a two-game lead over the rest of the bottled-up NEC. In the loss to SFU, Senior guard Matty McConnell scored a career-high 24 points, while becoming the 25^th member of the Robert Morris 1,000-Point Club. Defense has been the calling card for Toole and this season is no different. The Colonials top the NEC in scoring defense (66.7 ppg) and scoring margin (+2.5) while ranking second in the circuit in three-point field goal percentage (.355), three-point field goal percent defense (.329), rebounding defense (33.0 rpg), steals (7.73 per game) and turnover margin (+1.27).

Knights Last Time Out
With five players in double figures, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team extended its win streak to four by topping LIU Brooklyn 80-77 at the Rothman Center on Thursday night.

In a game that was nationally-televised on ESPNU and in front of a raucous Burgundy and Blue crowd, the Knights delivered the victory and earned a season series split with the Blackbirds. Darnell Edge spearheaded the Knights attack with 20 points and came through with a pair of big 3-pointers in the second half to help solidify the win. Jahlil Jenkins tallied 15 points with nine assists and five rebounds, while Kaleb Bishop scored 16 points with eight boards.

The Knights made nine 3-pointers and shot 56.3 percent from behind the arc in the win. Senior forward Mike Holloway Jr. chipped in 11 points and sophomore Xzavier Malone-Key added 10 points in the win. Four Blackbirds registered double figures in the loss led by Julian Batts' 17 points. Raul Frias and Ty Flowers each scored 16, while the NEC's leading scorer Raiquan Clark finished with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

In the win, the Knights blocked six shots -- their second most against a Division I opponent this season --  with Holloway swatting three and Elyjah Williams turning away a pair. This is the eighth time this season that the Burgundy and Blue have notched five players in double figures.

Coach Herenda's Thoughts
"That was a university victory from top to bottom. Our crowd was awesome -- I cannot thank our students, fans and alumni enough for making the Rothman Center the sixth man tonight. LIU is a very talented and well-coached team and tonight we just could never run away and hide from them. They just kept coming back and coming back but the combination of Jahlil, Darnell and Xzavier responded time and time again tonight. That was an exciting competitive NEC game and we had to fight to the end to secure that victory."

"On top of all of that, the announcement of our new athletic director, Brad Hurlbut was the cherry on top of the cake. We are very excited to have Brad here as our leader and to show him the potential of our crowd and the pride that FDU possesses was special."

Next Up
The Knights return to the road for their next two contests beginning with a date at Sacred Heart next Thursday, February 7. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. in Fairfield, Conn.