HACKENSACK, N.J. - Despite scoring a season-high 95 points and a career performance from junior Joel Hernandez, the LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team (9-9, 3-4 NEC) dropped a 101-95 decision at Fairleigh Dickinson in Northeast Conference action on Thursday evening. Hernandez scored a career-high 27 points and notched his third career double-double with 10 rebounds, but FDU's Darian Anderson scored 28 of his game-high 32 points in the second half to lead the Knights (9-9, 5-2 NEC) to victory.

For the second straight game, the Blackbirds got off to a fast start as a pair of free throws from sophomore Martin Hermannsson gave the Blackbirds a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes of the contest. FDU fought back, taking a 22-20 lead following a pair from the charity stripe from Mike Holloway with 9:13 to go in the period.

Six straight points, including consecutive three-point plays from juniors Jerome Frink and Aakim Saintil, regained a 26-22 lead for LIU Brooklyn. A three-pointer from Trevin Woods at the 5:51 mark upped the cushion to 36-29 and another trifecta from Woods with 2:02 left bumped the cushion to 46-37. Woods hit four three's in the first half and finished with five overall.

Hernandez extended the advantage for the Blackbirds with a dunk off a nice feed from Hermannsson, and a three-point play from the athletic wing with 2.4 on the clock gave LIU a 12-point margin heading into halftime.

A jumper from Saintil early in the second stanza gave the Blackbirds their largest lead at 57-43. The lead remained in double figures at 70-60 after a three-point play from the West Orange, N.J. product with 11:01 on the clock. But FDU used pressure defense to force three LIU turnovers over the next 1:19 as the Knights scored 15 straight points to turn the tides.

Darnell Edge and Darien Anderson were the catalysts, accounting for 13 of the 15 points in the spurt. Six straight from the Blackbirds briefly gave the visitors the lead back at 76-75, before a long three-pointer from Anderson with the shot clock running down stemmed momentum and put FDU up, 78-76. 

After the Knights bumped the lead back to six, Hernandex hit a jumper and four straight free throws by LIU once again tied the game at 82-82. Another three-pointer, this one from Marques Townes that came off a scramble play, gave Fairleigh Dickinson a lead it would not relinquish in improving to 5-2 in the league play.

LIU had five players in double figures, with Saintil finishing with 22 points and seven assists. Woods had his second straight standout game off the bench with 17 points, including a 5-of-7 performance from three-point range, while Frink also added 17 and seven boards. Hermannsson was the fifth member of the squad to reach double digits with 12 points to go along with eight assists.

The Blackbirds return home for their first of four straight at the Steinberg Wellness Center on Saturday, Jan. 23 against St. Francis Brooklyn in the 41st Annual Battle of Brooklyn. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m., with the game available on ESPN3 and NEC Front Row.