HACKENSACK, N.J. - After falling to Merrimack and Bryant on the final multi-game road trip of the season, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball (3-20, 4-12 NEC) returns home to the banks of the Hackensack on Thursday, February 24, for a nationally-televised matchup with league-leading Wagner (19-3, 15-1 NEC) at 6 p.m. live on CBS Sports Network from Stratis Arena inside Rothman Center. FDU will honor senior Sal Xheraj in a pregame ceremony to recognize his contributions to FDU over his four-year career in the Burgundy and Blue.

FDU received a win in the conference standings following Mount St. Mary's COVID-19 related forfeit on December 29 giving the Knights a 1-0 start in NEC play. Following the cancellations against Merrimack (January 6) and Bryant (January 8), FDU was assigned a loss in the NEC standings for each contest. The forfeits do not impact the Knights' overall record.

Game Info 
FDU (3-20, 4-12 NEC) vs. Wagner (19-3, 15-1 NEC)
Thursday, February 24, at 6:05 p.m. -- Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center (Hackensack, N.J.)
Coverage: CBS Sports Network | Live Stats
Tickets
In-Game Updates: @FDUKnightsMBB

Media Game Notes
FDU | WAG | NEC Weekly Release

All-Time Series
Wagner leads 59-58
First Meeting...Wagner 83, FDU 68 (12/16/1955)
Last Meeting...Wagner 95, FDU 64 (1/17/2022)
 
Scouting the Seahawks
With NEC Player of the Year candidate Alex Morales on their side, Wagner has been unstoppable in the ten-team league this season. Dropping just shy of 400 points this season alone, Morales has played in all but one of the Seahawks' matchups this season. Ranked No. 13 in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll released by CollegeInsider.com, the side from Staten Island received a vote in the Associated Press Top-25 poll this week, the first NEC team to receive a vote in the storied poll since the Seahawks earned a vote in four straight weeks in the 2011-12 campaign. Entering the final week of regular season play, Wagner has the opportunity to become just the third NEC team in its 41-year history to go through a season with just one conference loss, joining Central Connecticut (19-1 in 2001-02) and Marist (15-1 in 1986-87). 

More on the Seahawks

Scouting the Knights
Keeping the score close in the second half wasn't enough to push FDU men's basketball past Bryant on Saturday, snapping a six-game winning streak for the Knights over the Bulldogs. The most combined points scored in an NEC game this season (198), FDU fell 105-93 in Smithfield. Despite not leading, the Knights tied the game up once though Bryant held the edge from the jump getting ahead by as many as 27 points late in the second half. FDU's offense heated up late in the game with rookies Oscar Berry and Ray Ford Jr. fueling a 5-0 scoring run for the final 1:24 of game play to chip away at the late lead. One of three Knights to score in double-digits, freshman Ibrahim Wattara paced the Burgundy and Blue with 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting. He was one of four in blue to record at least one steal. Reigning NEC Rookie of the Week Anquan Hill got the jump done on the glass, logging a team-high seven rebounds while also leading the Knights in minutes played with 27. Berry dished out four assists tying a personal-best and FDU's 45 boards were the most in a game this season. "Bryant is very hard team to guard and we proved that today," said head coach Greg Herenda after the loss. "They have a ton of talented offensive players and in that building they are a handful. Again, we played well in pockets but need to find a way to put an entire 40 minutes together."

Full Wagner Recap

What's Next
The Knights conclude the regular season on Saturday, February 26, when the team hits the road awaiting their NEC Tournament fate to face LIU at 2 p.m. live on NEC Front Row.

Fans can stay connected with FDU men's basketball on Instagram and Twitter, @FDUKnightsMBB.

The 2021-22 men's basketball season is presented by Bogota Savings Bank.