Brooklyn, N.Y. – Malachi Davis and Jamal Fuller combined for 44 points to lead LIU to a 78-62 victory over the Le Moyne College men's basketball team in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams on Friday night at the Barclays Center.

Senior forward Ocypher Owens (Orlando, Fla./Orlando Christian Prep/Indian River State) led the Dolphins with a season high 19 points (the second-highest in his career against a DI program behind 21 at San Diego last year), including 13 in the second half, to go with career highs of 12 rebounds (seven in the first half) and five blocks. Graduate student guard Robby Carmody (Mars, Pa./Mars Area/Notre Dame/Mercer) tied his season high with 16 points, including 10 in the first half.

Davis registered 24 points, including 12 in each half, to go with five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Fuller turned in 20 points, 12 of which came in the second half.

LIU jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the opening two and one-half minutes. Davis had the first five points, Fuller made a lay-up and then Blake Lander drilled a three-pointer to force a Le Moyne timeout.

Le Moyne, which has dropped three straight games for the first time in its Division-I transition, answered with 14 of the next 19 points to take the lead. Fifth-year guard Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va./Oak Hill Academy/Towson) started the streak with a three-pointer, redshirt junior forward Dwayne Koroma (Berlin, Germany/Bishop Walsh (Md.)/Iona/Salt Lake C.C./UT Arlington) made two free throws, Carmody scored five straight points and then Owens scored four in a row to give the Dolphins a 16-15 lead with 12:13 left.

The Sharks countered with a 12-4 run over 12:22 to go back up by seven. Davis opened the jaunt with a lay-up and made another after a Fuller lay-up. Following almost three minutes of scoreless play, Fuller had another lay-up and made a jumper and then Xinyi Li capped the run with a lay-up for a 27-20 lead with 3:51 to go.

The teams traded points over the next minute before Jones Jr. had a fast-break lay-up and Owens made two free throws to get the Dolphins with 31-29 with 1:33 left in the half.

Terell Strickland scored four points in 47 seconds to put the Sharks back up by six, but sophomore guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) drained a three-pointer with four seconds left to get the Dolphins with 35-32 at the intermission.

Le Moyne scored five of the first seven points of the second half to even the score at 37 apiece with 17:20 remaining. Owens and Dancler made lay-ups around one by Davis and then Koroma tied the score with a free throw.

Fuller followed with a free throw to put the Sharks back in front, which they would not relinquish.

Davis made back-to-back shots in the paint to push the margin out to five, but Le Moyne closed within one point on a dunk and two free throws by Koroma with 14:22 left.

After Brent Davis and Owens traded three-pointers, resulting in Le Moyne getting within one (47-46) for the final time with 12:30 left, LIU ran off 24 of the next 30 points over 9:14 to blow the game open. Fuller had the first four points, Brent Davis hit another three-pointer and then Malachi Davis made a jumper for a 10-point lead. Following a 4-2 spurt by the Dolphins, Jalen Lee buried a three-pointer, Malachi Davis made two free throws, Fuller had a dunk and then Malachi Davis capped the streak with a jumper for a 67-50 lead with 6:48 left.

Dancler snapped Le Moyne's scoring drought of 4:16, but Shadrak Lasu made two free throws and Strickland made a lay-up for a game-high 19-point advantage (71-52) with 3:16 to play.

Owens and Carmody each scored four points to get the Dolphins within 74-60 with 57 seconds left.

LIU scored the next four points before Carmody scored at the buzzer to deliver the final score.

Le Moyne (5-11, 0-1 NEC), which falls to 2-2 against LIU, opens the home portion of its NEC slate on Friday against FDU at 7:00 p.m.