Brooklyn, N.Y. – Eric Acker scored a career-high 28 points to lead LIU to a 76-64 victory over the Le Moyne College men's basketball team in Northeast Conference action on Thursday night at the Steinberg Wellness Center.

Graduate student forward Luke Sutherland (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee/Siena/Bryant) led the Dolphins in the loss with 18 points, including 12 in the second half, while adding seven rebounds and a career high-tying five assists for the second straight game. Senior guard Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va./Oak Hill Academy/Towson) scored all 12 of his points in the second half, while freshman AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) tallied 10 points, including a team-high eight in the first half, three rebounds and two assists.

Acker registered 22 of his game-high point total in the second half on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, while finishing the game with seven rebounds and five assists. RJ Greene recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, including nine and five in the first half. Jason Steele posted 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes off the bench. Terell Strickland posted 10 points, eight assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals.

The teams went back and forth over the opening 10:09 with the lead changing sides five times and neither team taking more than a four point lead.

Following a jumper by graduate student guard Kaiyem Cleary (Manchester, England/Redemption Christian Academy (NY)/Florida Southern/Florida Southwestern/Ball State) to put the Dolphins in front 16-13, the Sharks rattled off 16 straight points over a stretch of 4:50. Five LIU players scored in the streak, led by five points from Andre Washington and four from Acker.

Le Moyne used an 11-5 burst to get back within seven in the final minute of the half. Dancler had the first four points and seven of the initial nine before graduate student guard Nate McClure (Houston, Texas/Concordia Lutheran/Texas State/State Fair C.C./IUPUI) made two free throws to make it 34-27 with 37 seconds left.

Strickland made a lay-up with two seconds left to give the Sharks a 36-27 lead at halftime.

The Dolphins scored the first four points of the second half and 12 of the opening 17 to cut their deficit to just two with 14:22 remaining. Sutherland led the charge with eight of the 12 points.

After the teams traded baskets over the next five minutes, which resulted in a 51-47 LIU lead, the Sharks scored eight of the next 10 points to regain a double-digit lead. Acker scored six of the eight points for LIU.

Following Acker's second three-pointer of the half to put LIU up 62-51 with 4:24 remaining, Le Moyne scored seven of the next nine points to trim their margin to six with 2:41 left. Cleary hit a three-pointer at the front end and Sutherland capped it with a put-back lay-up.

Steele and Jones Jr. traded three-pointers before Washington hit one of his own, Strickland knocked down a jumper and Acker made a free throw to push the lead back to 12 with 52 seconds left.

Cleary drilled a three-pointer for Le Moyne's final points before Strickland (2) and Steele (1) closed out the scoring from the foul line.

Le Moyne (12-15, 7-6 NEC), which fell into a tie for fourth place in the NEC standings with FDU, opens a two-game homestand on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. against FDU. Prior to the game, the graduate student class of Sutherland, Cleary, McClure, Mike DePersia (Cherry Hill, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial/IUPUI) and Isaiah Salter (Charlotte, N.C./Central Cabarrus/American International/Adelphi) will be honored by the Dolphin Athletic Association for their contributions to the program.