Mike Holloway Jr. protecting the paint as he scored a career-high 35 points at home against Sacred Heart

By JEN MALTI

Staff Writer

The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights defeated Northeast Conference opponent Sacred Heart 81-63 at home on Thursday night led by senior forward Mike Holloway Jr. with a career-high 35 points.

The Knights currently sit in second place with a record of 9-6 in the NEC behind St. Francis (Pa.), 14-13 overall and hold the tiebreaker over Robert Morris.

“It was harder than it looked,” FDU coach Greg Herenda said. “We really played some tough defense and rebounded in the second half but again the night was all about Mike Holloway. It was really a special night for Mike and I’m just really very happy for him that all his hard work paid off. It’s great that on Saturday our senior Darnell [Edge] had a career night, and then we back it up with Mike Holloway and that is what should happen. Seniors should lead down the stretch and Mike was obviously our leader in a big way tonight.”

The Knights offense pulled it together as they shot 29-53 (54.7%) from the field and 7-14 (50%) from the 3-point line.

In the first half, the offense started off slow going 13-24 (54.17%) shooting from the field and 3-7 (42.86%) from the 3 point line. The Knights were leading 36-30 at halftime.

In the second half, the Knights improved their offense and went 16-29 (55.17%) from the field and 4-7 (57.14%) from the 3-point line.

“It wasn’t fluid but, it was great to get the ball to the Mike and then to get the ball to Jahlil [Jenkins]. It was a team effort but, we had a great individual performance by Mike Holloway,” Herenda said. “We just need to continue to get better and work harder and enjoy this, but also know that we still have some climbing to do.”

FDU Senior forward Holloway Jr. scored a career-high, 35 points and went 3-3  from three point range. Jenkins contributed 12 points. Junior forward Kaleb Bishop added 10 points and sophomore forward Elyjah Williams added 9 points. Senior guard Darnell Edge also chipped in with 8 points.

Two players on Sacred Heart scored in double-digits. Freshman guard Koreem Ozier scored 22 points  and sophomore guard, E.J. Anosike scored 21 points.

The Pioneers offense shot 24-67 (35.8%) from the field and 6-27 (22.2%) from the 3-point line. Sacred Heart started off strong in the first half but, after Jenkins had a layup to get the upper hand of 23-22, the energy of the Knights took hold and they never looked back.

The Knights look to continue their streak as they face NEC foe Wagner on senior day, Saturday Feb. 23 at 4:30 p.m. in the Rothman Center.