HACKENSACK, N.J. – Two teams are left standing as the #1 FDU Knights host the #2 Sacred Heart Pioneers on Sunday afternoon in a battle for the NEC Championship. The winner of this battle will get an automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA tournament; this would be the first time that the FDU women's basketball team has reached the "Big Dance". Fans will be able to watch the matchup at noon on ESPNU.
 
These two teams matched up twice this year in the regular season with the Pios winning both games. The two losses to SHU are the only conference losses that FDU picked up on the season. The first matchup saw the Knights turn the ball over 25 times and struggle to play their style on the defensive end. Despite the struggles, they still held a two-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter before the Pioneers outscored them 25-14 in the final frame. The second matchup between these teams was similar to the first; the Knights entered the fourth quarter winning 61-54 before getting outscored 16-6 and dropping the contest 70-67.
 
FDU will be looking to reverse the things they did poorly in the first two matchups. They want to secure the ball, play defense, and hold on to the lead when they get it. For this to happen they need All-NEC First Team selection Chloe Wilson to play the way she has all season. Wilson leads the Knights by scoring 16.9 points a game while adding 7.4 rebounds.
 
Senior Sierra DeAngelo is another key for the Knights on both ends of the floor. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native is scoring 12.8 points a night on the season and has boosted that average to 16.7 over her last seven games. Offense is not the only thing DeAngelo provides for the Knights, she is tied for second on the team in rebounds with 5.1 and leads all Knights with 25 blocks on the season.
 
FDU is looking to secure their first NEC Championship since the 1991-92 season when they won a previous program record 23 games.