BROOKLYN, N.Y. - A fadeaway jumper from Fairleigh Dickinson guard Darian Anderson with 17 seconds remaining pushed the Knights past the LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon at the Steinberg Center. Trailing by one, the Blackbirds had an opportunity to re-take the lead in the final moments but missed on a driving layup opportunity, and two free throws by FDU accounted for the final 88-85 score to drop LIU to 10-11 on the year and 4-6 in Northeast Conference play.

Trailing by five with 3:51 remaining, two free throws and a three-pointer from junior Joel Hernandez tied the contest at 78-78 with just under three minutes left. On the next offensive possession, junior Jerome Frink nailed a three from straight on, and a steal and finish by Frink put the Blackbirds in prime position to come away with a win with a 83-78 lead at the 1:58 mark.

Four straight free throws by the Knights cut the margin to one, before sophomore Trevin Woods canned two free throws of his own to push the advantage to 85-82 with 1:13 remaining. Marques Townes buried a jumper in the paint on the next trip down court to bring the Knights to within one then, with the shot clock running down on an LIU possession with under a minute left, Anderson pilfered a steal before missing a layup that would have gave the visitors the lead.

The ball went out of bounds off of LIU Brooklyn and, after a timeout with 26 seconds remaining, Anderson was able to make up for his miscue a moment earlier with a tough jumper from the left baseline that put Fairleigh Dickinson in front, 86-85. The Blackbirds gained possession and junior Aakim Saintil drove to the rim but was met by three FDU defenders, altering the shot that was ultimately off the mark. The rebound came down to Tyrone O'Garro, who was immediately fouled with 2.4 seconds remaining.

O'Garro missed both foul shots, giving LIU Brooklyn one final opportunity with 2.0 seconds left. The Blackbirds inbounded the ball the length of the court away from their hoop, but an errant pass turned the ball back over to FDU without any time running off the clock. Two free throws from Ghassan Nehme pushed the Knights in front by three, before a three-quarter length heave from Frink was off the mark as the buzzer sounded.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with both teams scoring at a high pace. The Knights shot the ball well, going 15-of-29 from the field (51.7%). The Blackbirds were able to do their damage at the free-throw line, converting 18 of their 22 opportunities to head into the locker room trailing by just one despite shooting 38.5 percent. Sophomore Martin Hermannsson was the catalyst in the period, scoring 16 points on just four field-goal attempts while handing out three assists. Woods also contributed with 10 points off the bench.

For the game, five Blackbirds scored in double figures led by Hermannsson's 21 points. Woods finished with 17 points while Frink registered his seventh double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Saintil added 12 points and six assists, and Hernandez was the fifth player to reach double digits with 11 points. Anderson finished with 21 points to lead FDU.

LIU Brooklyn returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 4 against Mount St. Mary's. Tipoff at the Steinberg Center is set for 7:00 p.m.