HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team plays for a chance to clinch a sixth straight berth to the Northeast Conference Tournament on Saturday when it travels to Bryant for a 1 p.m., game in Rhode Island.

FDU (10-16, 7-8 NEC) at Bryant (8-18, 6-9 NEC)
Saturday, Feb. 29 | 1 PM | Chace Center - Smithfield, R.I.
Watch: NEC Front Row
Links: Live Stats | Twitter | Instagram

All-Time Series
BRY 15, FDU 6
at Chace Center: BRY leads, 8-2
This Season: BRY 57, FDU 45 (1/4/20 at Rothman Center)

Playoff Stakes
FDU can clinch a spot into the NEC Tournament with either of the following scenarios:
-- A FDU win vs. Bryant OR
-- A loss by St. Francis Brooklyn to Sacred Heart

The Knights can finish as high as third in the NEC seeding though if they win out and Saint Francis U loses one of their two remaining games OR FDU wins at least two of their last three games and Saint Francis U drops both of their remaining games.

FDU currently sits in the fourth seed in the NEC Tournament (Merrimack is NEC postseason ineligible), with Bryant as one of four teams along with Sacred Heart, LIU and Wagner all tied at 6-9 for the fifth-eighth spots. 

Last Time Out
The Knights engaged in a tough defensive battle with Robert Morris in their previous game on Sunday but fell short in a 48-35 defeat in the Rothman Center.
 
The Knights held a one-point lead after the first quarter and expanded their lead to as many as seven in the second quarter, but the Colonials (20-7, 15-1 NEC) made run to tie the game at halftime and then expanded on their run early in the third period, limiting FDU to just five points in the third period.
 
Freshman Maria Roters led the Knights with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting to go with four rebounds and two assists. Senior Lauren Francillon finished one rebound shy of her second straight double-double, ending with 10 points, nine rebounds, four steals and a block. Sophomore Lindsey Mack also made two three-pointers to add six points, and freshman Aniya Bell pulled down a season-high seven rebounds to go with two points and two assists.
 
The Knights held the Colonials to just 32 percent from the floor in the game and did not allow a field goal over the entire fourth quarter to Robert Morris. FDU also pulled down 40 rebounds to Robert Morris' 34 in the game and did not allow any Colonial player to score in double figures.
 
Coach Szumilo's Thoughts
"I'm very proud of our teams efforts and I thought this was one of our best defensive efforts of the season," head coach Angelika Szumilo said. "To hold this team to 48 points is pretty good, and they're a very good team, good defensively as well. It teaches us that if you play good defense, you can be in every game, and today had a couple more shots gone in, we would have been in a closer game. If you play good defense, you can be in a position to steal a game."

What's Next
FDU hosts its final regular-season home game against Wagner on Monday, March 2, at 7 p.m., in the Rothman Center. Tickets for Monday's home game can be purchased online in advance at fduknights.com/tickets.

Marriott Saddle Brook is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 women's basketball season.  

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