HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team finishes up a two-game home stand with a game against Sacred Heart at 7 p.m. in the Rothman Center.
 
The game will be shown on ESPN+, a pay-per-view subscription service for ESPN that can be viewed on mobile, tablet or desktop devices. Live stats will be available at fduknights.com as well.
 
ENTERING THE KNIGHT
The Knights (6-19, 3-11 NEC) had three players score in double figures but faced a tough defensive challenge from a Wagner team that held the Knights to just nine fourth-quarter points in a 60-44 loss. The Knights themselves blocked six shots and held Wagner to its lowest point total in six games and just 35.7 percent shooting, but the Seahawks conversely forced 20 Knight turnovers and held FDU to just 32.7 percent from the floor. Sophomore Madison Stanley recorded her second double-double ever with 10 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Senior Natalie Zamora led the Knights with 14 points and four three-pointers, and senior Madelynn Comly added 11 points.

BEFORE THE GAME TONIGHT ... 
 
 
CHASING 1,000
Senior Madelynn Comly is 31 points away from becoming the 18th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. The senior has scored in double figures in each of her last six games and is averaging 11.2 ppg in NEC play this season while shooting 49.2 percent from the floor. She needs to average 7.8 points per game over the next four games to reach the milestone by the end of the regular season.
 
STANLEY OWNS FEBRUARY
Sophomore Madison Stanley has been on a tear in the month of February, averaging 11.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field in six February games. She has scored in double figures in five straight games, and she notched both of her career double-doubles this month (13 points, 10 rebounds at St. Francis Brooklyn). Stanley leads the Knights with a 46.3 shooting percentage (11th in the NEC) and is the team's leader with 29 blocks (1.2 per game, seventh in the NEC).
 
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 (8.9) and blocks per game (4.0) and third in the league in points allowed (65.4), three-point field goal defense (30.4) and turnover margin (+0.3). Senior Natalie Zamora is second in the conference with 2.2 steals per game, and senior Peniel M'Bikata is fourth with 2.0 swipes per game. Junior Lauren Francillon is eighth in the NEC in blocks per game (1.1), right behind Stanley who has 1.2 blocks per game.
 
SERIES SCORE
Sacred Heart leads the all-time series against the Knights, 30-5, and has won each of the last two meetings. The Pioneers won the previous matchup this season in Fairfield, 68-62, when the Knights battled their way back from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to close to within three in the final minutes. Francillon led the Knights with 13 points and seven rebounds, one of four Knights to score in double figures. FDU is 5-12 all-time against the Pioneers when playing in the Rothman Center, and the Knights have won four of the last five home games against Sacred Heart, including last year's 69-59 victory.
 
SCOUTING SACRED HEART
The Pioneers (14-11, 10-4 NEC) are in sole possession of second place in the NEC standings, having won four of their last five games (including a win over the Knights). The Pioneers on Saturday defeated in-state rival Central Connecticut State, 73-46, and also beat Mount St. Mary's and Bryant in their recent run, with their loss coming on the road to LIU Brooklyn on Feb. 18 in the Barclays Center. Graduate senior Katherine Haines leads the Pioneers with 16.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg and a 49.3 percent field-goal percentage. Three more starters also average in double figures in points, including Adrianne Hagood (11.8), Candice Leatherwood (11.1) and Erin Storck (10.3).
 
AROUND THE NEC
The Knights are now in a three-way tie for the eighth and final NEC Tournament spot with CCSU and LIU Brooklyn after LIU's win over Saint Francis U. Robert Morris has a chance to clinch the regular season title with a win Monday against LIU. Other matchups around the league on Monday include a battle between the two "Francis" schools, Brooklyn and Pennsylvania, along with Mount St. Mary's at CCSU and Bryant at Wagner.