HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team begins a two-game home stand this weekend with a game against Wagner Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
 
The game will be streamed live for free on NEC Front Row, and live stats will be available at fduknights.com. The game is also part of the team's Alumni Day celebration, as well as the Knights' NEC Kids Day and Knights Think Pink game.
 
ENTERING THE KNIGHT
The Knights (6-18, 3-10 NEC) battled from behind to bring a double-digit deficit down to six points in the third quarter at Bryant but fell by a score of 68-48. The Knights were held to just eight points in the first and fourth quarters. Senior Madelynn Comly led the Knights with 16 points, starting the game 6-of-7 from the field and making both of her three-point attempts. Sophomore Madison Stanley was one rebound shy of her second double-double this season, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds to go with two blocks.
 
CHASING 1,000
Senior Madelynn Comly moved to within 42 points of reaching 1,000 career points after netting 16 at Bryant on Monday. With five games remaining in the regular season, Comly needs to average 8.4 points per game to reach the milestone by the end of the season. The senior has averaged 11.2 points per game in the NEC this season, and she has scored in double figures in five straight games. Comly has been shooting 50.9 percent from the field, 48.4 percent from three, and 94.4 percent at the free throw line since the start of NEC play.
 
STRONG STANLEY
Sophomore Madison Stanley has also stepped up her play in recent games, averaging 12.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in her last four outings and has scored in double figures in all four games. She started her recent stretch by recording her first career double-double against St. Francis Brooklyn (13 points, 10 rebounds), and she tied her career high with 16 points last Saturday against Saint Francis U. Stanley has made 55.3 percent of her field goals and has also totaled six assists, five blocks and four steals in those games.
 
DEFENSIVE MINDSET
The Knights have proven to be one of the better defensive teams in the NEC this season, ranking second in the league in steals per game (9.0) and blocks per game (3.9) and third in the league in points allowed (65.6), three-point field goal defense (30.3) and turnover margin (+0.6). Senior Natalie Zamora leads the conference with 2.3 steals per game, and senior Peniel M'Bikata is fourth with 2.0 swipes per game. Junior Lauren Francillon is fifth in the NEC in blocks per game (1.2) and Stanley is close behind with 1.1 blocks per game (8th in the NEC).
 
ALUMNI DAY INFO
The team will host Alumni Day on Saturday as part of the game's festivities, with a reception scheduled to take place immediately following the conclusion of the game in the Stratis Lounge. If you are planning to come and take part in the festivities and have not already, please RSVP to assistant coach Rayven Johnson (rayven_johnson5@fdu.edu) or contact ticket coordinator Danielle Ryan (dryan@student.fdu.edu).
 
SERIES SCORE
FDU leads the all-time series with Wagner, 39-36, entering Saturday's game, but the Seahawks won the meeting earlier this season out on Staten Island (71-59). The Knights held an eight-point lead into the second period of that game, but Wagner took a lead into halftime and held onto the lead through the second half. Zamora scored a career-high 20 points and hit five three-pointers in the loss. The Knights are 17-4 against Wagner in head coach Peter Cinella's tenure, and they have won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two teams in the Rothman Center, including last year's 62-61 victory at home over the Seahawks on ESPN3.
 
SCOUTING WAGNER
The Seahawks (9-15, 7-6 NEC) were on a four-game winning streak until dropping Monday's game at Mount St. Mary's, 81-66. Included in that run were two wins over LIU Brooklyn, a win against St. Francis Brooklyn and a win over Central Connecticut State. Wagner currently sits in fifth place in the NEC standings. Forward Taylah Simmons leads the Seahawks with 19.0 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game in NEC play this season. Guards Alayshia Dailey and Nakylia Carter each have over 50 assists in NEC games as well. As a team, Wagner shoots 41.7 percent from the floor and averages 64.0 points per game but has a -2.1 turnover margin.
 
AROUND THE NEC
Four teams – Robert Morris, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Sacred Heart – have secured NEC Tournament berths with five games remaining. Behind fifth-place Wagner, Mount St. Mary's (sixth) and Bryant (seventh) are the other teams ahead of FDU in the standings. FDU is currently tied for the eighth spot in the tournament with CCSU, and owns a tiebreaker against CCSU due to its win over the Blue Devils earlier this season. Other matchups on Saturday around the league include St. Francis Brooklyn at Robert Morris, Sacred Heart at CCSU, Mount St. Mary's at Bryant, and LIU Brooklyn at Saint Francis U.