BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Following a tremendous victory over second-place Wagner on Thursday, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team (4-21, 5-13 NEC) fell to third-place LIU 84-77 as the #8 Knights turn their attention to #9 Central Connecticut in the opening round of the 2022 Northeast Conference Tournament, scheduled to be played on Monday, February 28, at 7 p.m. at Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center in Hackensack.

How it Happened

• No team was more than 12 points ahead at anytime during the game with FDU hanging with the Sharks for most of their time in front. FDU would lead five times for just over 10 minutes total.
• Junior Brandon Rush dropped 18 points in a team-high 30 minutes on the court, shooting 6-of-16 from the field. The Warrensville, Ohio native added a team-high eight rebounds, two assists and one steal.
• Three-point shooting specialist freshman Oscar Berry shot .500 from deep (3-for-6) and recorded a board of his own.

Inside the Box Score 

• FDU shot over 90 percent from the free throw line (19-for-21).
• Junior co-captain Devon Dunn and fellow co-captain John Square Jr. each finished the game shooting 3-for-4 in their final four attempts.

Coach Herenda's Thoughts

"Today it was pick your poison - we did a great job on one of the elite scorers in our conference but we let Penn get to his spot all day long and it eventually cost us. Thank God those guys are seniors. We played an excellent defensive first half but I thought we left a bunch of points out there, but to have a lead in this building is not an easy thing to do. They just came out and took it to another level to start the second half and we had to play from behind from then on. Now we are home for a conference tournament game and everyone is 0-0. This is very exciting stuff with a young and talented group. We are playing good basketball right now and Monday night the Rothman will be jumping."

What's Next

FDU has been seeded eighth in the 2022 NEC tournament and will welcome Central Connecticut on Monday, February 28, at 7 p.m. live on NEC Front Row. Tickets are on-sale now at FDUKnights.com/Tickets.

The 2021-22 men's basketball season is presented by Bogota Savings Bank.