HACKENSACK, N.J.- The #1 FDU Knights play host to the #4 St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers on Thursday, March 9 at 7 p.m. The two teams will battle it out for the third time this season and the second time at Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center. The previous two matchups involving these teams saw the Burgundy and Blue dominate the Terriers in 31 and 19-point victories.
 
For the fourth straight season, Angelika Szumilo's squad will be looking to overcome the semifinal round of the NEC Championships. FDU's season has ended one game shy of the championship game for three seasons, last year losing to Bryant, the year prior to Mount St. Mary's, and three years ago the game was canceled due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
 
This time around the Knights have a team full of players who were on last year's roster and have the experience of playing in playoff games. All five starters for the Knights are returners with five players coming off the bench with experience from last season.
 
Chloe Wilson has been the Knights leader on both ends of the floor this season while scoring 16.7 points a contest and grabbing 7.4 rebounds. As of late, senior forward Sierra DeAngelo has been giving opponents the most trouble by averaging 20.4 points a game in her last five, which includes a career-high 30-point night against the Wagner Seahawks on senior night.  
 
The task at hand for the Knights will be the Terriers from St. Francis Brooklyn, who are led by senior guard Alyssa Fisher. She has scored 16.1 points per game this season, ranking third in the conference only behind Ny'Ceara Pryor of Sacred Heart and Wilson of the Knights. Fisher was just named the NEC's Most Improved Player of the 2022-23 season. Last time out in the Semifinal round against the Wagner Fisher was injured on a play in the second quarter and failed to return to the game; it is unclear if she will be available in tonight's game at Stratis Arena. However, freshman guard Tyra Myers picked up the scoring load while Fisher was down and scored 17 points on the way to ending the Seahawks season.
 
The winner of this matchup will play the winner of the #2 Sacred Heart and #3 Merrimack semifinal game. If the Warriors upset the Pioneers than the winner of the Knights and Terriers would get an automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Tournament due to Merrimack being in year four of a Division I transition period.