FAIRFIELD, Conn. and SYRACUSE, N.Y. - FDU men's basketball (13-14, 7-5 NEC) hits the road this week for two matchups away from the friendly confines of the Bogota Savings Bank Center as the Knights get set to face Sacred Heart and Le Moyne on Thursday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 24, respectively. Both games will air live on NEC Front Row and the NEC on the Run app.

For the Knights, the trip to Syracuse represents the first-ever game for FDU at Le Moyne, the newest member of the nine-team Northeast Conference. Le Moyne visited Hackensack in early January, a win for the Dolphins.
 

About FDU

NEC Co-Player of the Week Ansley Almonor and the Knights seek their third-straight win Thursday when the Knights visit Sacred Heart. The Knights, winners of three of their last five, made international headlines last week when 13 members of the team were stuck in a elevator prior to the overtime victory at LIU on Feb. 15. Gaining over 140 million impressions, FDU netted $12 million in publicity value from Feb. 15-17 with mentions on television, radio and online. Just shy of 100 million impressions came via X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Almonor scored his 1,000th point as a Knight in the second half of that game.

After the LIU game, FDU welcomed Saint Francis U and toppled the Red Flash 93-74 inside the Bogota Savings Bank Center.

The Knights shot the ball lights-out against the Red Flash, finishing 53.4 percent from the field, the second time this season FDU shot more than 50 percent against a Division I opponent (fourth overall). FDU is 3-1 in 2023-24 when shooting 50 percent from the field or higher.

Five Knights finished in double-figures, led by Almonor's 21 points, the third-straight game Almonor led the Knights in scoring (14th time this season). Freshman guard Jameel Morris (Willingboro, N.J./Trenton Catholic) made in impact in his first game since Jan. 10, scoring 11 points in an effective 10 minutes, shooting 3-for-3 from behind the arc with a pair of free throw makes. Morris also contributed two rebounds and an assist and steal off the bench.

"He [Morris] did a great job tonight; was really impressive," said head coach Jack Castleberry following the triumph, referring to Jameel Morris. "He was a big reason that first half shook out the way it did and made a big impact. He's been patient as a freshman and hasn't played a ton but he got his chance in the rotation tonight and showed he belonged."

Freshman guard Terrence Brown (Minneapolis, Minn./Columbia Heights) tallied 15 points on 4-10 shooting, though the newcomer hit 7-of-8 from the foul line. Brown nabbed four rebounds and dished eight times with just one turnover in his 13th start of the campaign. Brown's eight assists set a new career-high.

FDU has already clinched a berth in the 2024 Northeast Conference Championship.
 

About the Opponents

Sacred Heart enters Thursday's game with an identical record to FDU at 13-14 overall, 7-5 in the NEC. FDU currently holds the tiebreaker over the Pioneers given the Knights' win over SHU earlier in league play as FDU sits third in the NEC and Sacred Heart right behind in fourth. Nico Galette leads the Pioneers in scoring and is eighth in the league overall, averaging 13.8 points a game. Galette is also an elite rebounder, averaging 7.0 r.p.g.

In their first Division I season, Le Moyne has clinched a berth to the NEC tournament with the Dolphins holding fifth place slot in the league as of Wednesday. The Northeast Conference Council of Presidents voted last summer to allow reclassifying institutions, which include Le Moyne and Stonehill, to participate in NEC championships for all sports, though they are ineligible to win the conference's automatic qualifier (AQ) to the NCAA tournament.
 

About the Series

FDU is 17-26 all-time against Sacred Heart. FDU won the first meeting of the season in Hackensack in the highest-scoring NEC game since FDU-Bryant in 2022.

FDU is 0-1 against Le Moyne with the first meeting coming on Jan. 6, 2024 at the Bogota Savings Bank Center.
 

What's Next

The Knights close-out the final week of the regular season with Senior Night on Thursday, Feb. 29 vs. Merrimack at 7 p.m. ET on NEC Front Row and finishes-off the campaign at Wagner on Saturday, March 2 at 4:30 p.m., also on NEC Front Row and the NEC on the Run app. Information regarding the 2024 NEC tournament will be available at FDUKnights.com and the NEC's official visit, NortheastConference.org as soon as the bracket is finalized.

Connect with FDU men's basketball on X and Instagram, @FDUKnightsMBB.

Bogota Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor for the 2023-24 FDU men's basketball season.