HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team was halted by LIU Brooklyn, 79-75, in overtime at Stratis Arena on Thursday, Jan. 17. With the loss, the Knights fall to 7-11 on the season, with a 2-3 record in Northeast Conference action, while the preseason favorite and reigning NEC Champion Blackbirds improve to 7-10, with a 2-3 conference mark.

After trailing at halftime, the Knights stormed ahead early in the second half to take a 48-38 lead with 15 minutes left to play. The Blackbirds fought through the second half and tied the game at 69 on a three-point shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.  LIU outscored FDU 10-6 in overtime to seal the victory.

FDU senior Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac) led the Knights with 22 points, while classmates Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) and Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) added 16 and 14 points for the Knights, respectively.

LIU's Jamal Olasewere led all players with 30 points and 16 rebounds, and also had four blocks, two assists and two steals for the Blackbirds.

The teams traded baskets to open the game. Backed by 12 early points from Olasewere and aided by six FDU turnovers, the Blackbirds compiled 19 points by the midpoint of the first half. The Knights used sharp shooting the match LIU's scoring opportunities and trailed by just one point, 19-18, with 10 minutes left to play in the first half.

The Blackbirds produced an 11-5 run to take a seven-point lead, 30-23, with six minutes remaining. Baskets from Rochford, Bolding and Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, S.C./Burke) brought the Knights within three points with less than three minutes to play.

LIU maintained a four-point lead in the final seconds of the half after Olasewere hit two free throws with six seconds on the clock.  The Knights sent the inbounds pass to Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti), who sank a half-court runner as time expired to bring FDU within one point, 36-35 at halftime. 

The Knights outshot the Blackbirds 54.2 percent to 35.5 percent in the first half. LIU's point advantage was due in part to 11-of-18 made shots from the free-throw line. FDU sank 100 percent of its free throws in the first half but made it to the line just five times. LIU edged FDU on the backboard with a 19-18 advantage in rebounds. 

After the break, the Knights created a 13-2 run to take a 48-38 lead with 15 minutes left to play. The Blackbirds countered the deficit by outscoring FDU, 16-5, in the next nine minutes. A three-point play by Olasewere, followed by a three-pointer by Jason Brickman gave LIU the lead, 54-53, with six minutes on the clock.

After trading the lead twice more, Bolding catapulted the Knights to a five-point lead on two consecutive three-pointers and gave the Knights a 66-61 lead with 32 seconds left in regulation.

LIU responded with a three-point shot and called for a timeout, while they trailed 66-64 with 21 seconds to play.

In the final 15 seconds, both teams added two points before Bolding sank 1-of-2 free throws with five seconds to go to give FDU a 69-66 lead.

The Blackbirds perfectly executed the inbounds play and found Brandon Thompson on left side of the three-point arc. Thompson sank a long-range shot as time expired to tie the game at 69 points.

The second half saw the Knights once again shoot 50 percent from the field, while holding the Blackbirds to 46.2 percent. The Knights also forced 12 second-half turnovers for LIU.

Both teams connected on jump shots and free throws but missed three-point attempts in the opening minutes of the overtime period.  With 2:29 left to play, the teams were tied for the seventh time of the night at 75. The Blackbirds took a 77-75 lead with less than two minutes on the clock with a C.J. Garner layup and stopped the Knights' next five offensive opportunities. With 11 seconds, Garner sank two free throws to seal the win, 79-75, for LIU.

Overall, the Knights shot 48.3 percent from the field, while holding LIU to 41.3 percent and below their season average. LIU outscored the Knights from the charity stripe by making 19-of-30 free throws, compared to the Knights' 8-of-14. The Blackbirds also held the advantage in rebounds, 45-33, but saw the Knights take the edge in assists, 18-13, and turnovers, 16-19.

Offensively, FDU was led by the trio of double-digit point scorers. Freshman Xavier Harris (Philadelphia, Pa./Constitution) paced the Knights on the glass with a career high eight rebounds, while Bolding brought down six boards.

The Knights take on the other Brooklyn contingent of the NEC on Saturday, Jan. 19. FDU will travel to New York City to face St. Francis Brooklyn at the Pope Physical Education Center. Tipoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. as part of a men's/women's doubleheader.