HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team sets out to stop its modest two-game skid, when St. Francis Brooklyn rolls into Hackensack for two games this week.
Series Info
FDU (7-11, 6-6 NEC) vs St. Francis Brooklyn (5-8, 5-7 NEC)
Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center (Hackensack, N.J.)
Game 1: Tuesday, Feb. 16 - 7 PM
Game 2: Wednesday, Feb. 17 - 7 PM
Coverage: NEC Front Row |
Live Stats
In-game updates:
@FDUKnightsMBB
Game Notes
FDU |
SFBK |
NEC Weekly
All-Time Series
FDU leads 57-43
at FDU..34-20
Last Five..2-3
Streak..L1
First Meeting..St. Francis BK 62, FDU 51 (1/10/55)
Last Meeting.. St. Francis BK 79, FDU 63 (1/2/20 at SFBK)
The Terriers earned the win in last season's NEC opener. In the loss,
Jahlil Jenkins became the 29th Knight to eclipse 1,000 career points. Jenkins would finish with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Redshirt junior
Xzavier Malone-Key led all scorers with 19 points and added five rebounds, while
Elyjah Williams recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
Scouting the Terriers
St. Francis is coming off of an 80-66 loss at Saint Francis (Pa.) as they earned a two-game split with the Red Flash. The team has dropped four of its last five and currently sits at 5-7 in NEC action this season. This week's series on the Hackensack should provide some fireworks as the Terriers rank second in the NEC in points per game, while the Knights are third. Furthermore, the Terriers are 10th in defense, while the Knights are ninth. Offensively, the team is led by graduate transfer Travis Atson (14.8 ppg) who joined the Terriers after previously playing at Quinnipiac. Four Terriers are scoring in double figures this season including senior guard Chauncey Hawkins, who was named Preseason All-NEC. In his 11th season at the helm of the Terriers, head coach Glenn Braica recently notched career win No. 150.
More on St. Francis Brooklyn
Scouting the Knights
After winning five of six, the Knights ran into the red-hot Wagner Seahawks, who came away with a two-game sweep to extend their own winning streak to five games. Senior forward
Elyjah Williams enjoyed a stellar two-game stretch averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, including a 27-point, 13-rebound double-double in Saturday's loss. Williams, who sits 11 points shy of 1,000 for his career, ranks 17th in the nation in field goal percentage at 60.1 percent. In addition to Williams, Tuesday may be a milestone night for eighth-year Knights head coach
Greg Herenda who has 99 victories at FDU.
After matching their program record with 16 three-pointers on Saturday against Wagner on an efficient 16-of-27, the Burgundy and Blue moved up to 21st in the country in three-point percentage and are connecting at 38.5 percent as a team. The Knights also have been adept at nabbing steals, averaging 8.1 per contest, which also ranks inside the top 50 in the NCAA.
The Knights currently occupy the sixth spot in the NEC standings with six games remaining. The top four teams qualify for this year's NEC Tournament and first-place Merrimack is not eligible. With a log-jam of six-win teams in front of them, (Bryant 6-4, Wagner, 6-4, Sacred Heart 6-5) the postseason determination will likely come down to the wire.
More on the Knights
Last Time Out for the Knights
Full Recap |
Coach Herenda Postgame
Senior forward
Elyjah Williams amassed a 27-point, 13-rebound double-double but the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team fell to Wagner 95-86 on Saturday night at the Rothman Center.
The Knights, who led 45-42 at halftime, matched their program record with 16 three-pointers – a record they set in last season's meeting with the Seahawks (6-5, 6-4 NEC) in Hackensack – but it was not enough as the visitors shot 55.6 percent overall and scored 54 points in the paint to come away with the victory. Four Knights scored in double figures, led by Williams, who logged his third double-double of the season and made 11-of-18 from the field including a career-high 4-of-5 from three-point range. Freshman guard
Joe Munden Jr. and junior guard
Brandon Powell finished with 14 points apiece in the loss.
Next Up
After these two teams conclude their series tomorrow night, the Knights host Mount St. Mary's for a two-game set this weekend. The first game, Saturday, February 21, will air on ESPN3 and MASN.
