BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Led by a career-high 27 points from Mike Holloway Jr., the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team won its Northeast Conference opener 82-71 over LIU Brooklyn at the Steinberg Wellness Center on Friday evening.
 
In the win, Holloway dominated around the basket, amassing 20 points in the paint as part of an 11-of-16 overall shooting performance by the junior forward. The Knights' big man added nine rebounds and two steals to his ledger and also knocked down a three-pointer.
 
Junior guard Darnell Edge scored 19 on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting effort and connected on 3-of-5 from behind the arc, while freshman forward Noah Morgan chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
 
The Knights (4-8, 1-0 NEC), who entered the game averaging 9.1 steals per game --17th best in the nation --  turned the Blackbirds over 15 times with four players registering two or more steals. Senior guard Darian Anderson, who ranks second on the school's all-time steals list, nabbed two in the win to go along with 11 points, five assists and four rebounds. Freshman guard Jahlil Jenkins totaled three steals, scored seven and dished out five assists on the night.

In addition to the defensive pressure, the Knights took care of the basketball, committing just four miscues -- their fewest in a game since they turned the ball over three times against Saint Francis U on March 2, 2016.

Redshirt senior guard Joel Hernandez and junior swingman Raiquan Clark combined for 44 of the Blackbirds' (5-9, 0-1 NEC) 71 points. Hernandez double-doubled with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Clark scored 21 with eight boards in the loss.
 
Head coach Greg Herenda is now 5-0 in NEC openers since joining the Knights in 2013.

"That was a hard-fought game and our guys just kept fighting for the entire 40 minutes," said Herenda following the victory. "I am very proud of every player on our team tonight. It has been so long since our last victory but every day we have come into the gym and worked hard to improve and tonight's win is our reward."

On his junior forward's outstanding performance Herenda said, "That is what Mike Holloway is capable of doing in this conference. He was immense but it really was a team win and he would tell you that himself."

"On the road, we need to defend and take care of the ball and we did both very well tonight. To have four turnovers in 40 minutes at LIU is a real testament to our guards and our attention to detail. There is nothing like winning road conference games and we have one more before we finally get home."

A corner three-pointer by Edge gave the Knights a 15-11 lead five minutes into play. Both teams connected on six of their first eight shots, while the Knights hit three from downtown. Edge made his first four shots including a pair from behind the arc over that span.
 
The Knights held a six-point lead, 27-21, with 7:15 to go in the half before the Blackbirds countered with a 13-2 run. Over the course of that stretch the home team made all four of its shots from the field and 5-of-8 from the line to take a 34-29 edge.
 
With Edge and Holloway leading the way, the Knights were able to weather the storm and entered the break with a 39-36 lead after Elyjah Williams swooped in for a three-point play, which capped the first-half scoring. 
 
The Knights overcame a 13-5 disparity in free throw attempts by limiting the Blackbirds to 1-of-7 from three-point range. For the half, the home team knocked down 48.1 percent, while the Knights made 44.4 percent of their shots. Holloway matched LIU's Joel Hernandez with a game-high 14 points at the break and Edge finished 5-of-6 from the floor for 12 points.
 
A three-pointer by Morgan and a two-handed throwdown by Holloway highlighted part of a 16-4 run by the Knights, which spanned over six minutes and resulted in a 74-61 lead with 3:25 to play. The Knights drilled three trifectas over the course of the game-changing run and forced two LIU timeouts.
 
With the comfortable lead in hand, the Knights scored seven of the final 10 points to close out the victory and move to 1-0 in NEC action.

Tonight's game was the Knights' sixth of seven straight road games and their first victory away from the Rothman Center since January 26 at St. Francis Brooklyn. The team closes out this stretch on Sunday at Sacred Heart before hosting Central Connecticut State on January 4.
 
FDU returns to action this Sunday, December 31 with a New Year's Eve road test at Sacred Heart. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. in Fairfield, Connecticut.