HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY.—  The LIU men's basketball team traveled to Highland Heights, Ky. for a Thanksgiving weekend matchup against former Southland Conference champions Texas A&M Corpus-Christi.
 
The Sharks came out of the gates firing and never looked back. They grabbed their first victory of the season, toppling the Islanders by a score of 83-68.
 
Freshman Eric Acker has been unbelievable for LIU so far this season, scoring a season-high 22 points just days after scoring 20 at Columbia. The East New York native is averaging 20 ppg in his last three games. Acker also led the team in rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double with nine.
 
Tai Strickland had his best game as a Shark so far, scoring 21 points off of a 50% shooting day and being a perfect 9-9 from the foul line.
 
Tana Kopa scored 12 and made three pointers while Ahmed Essahaty had his best game of the season so far, scoring 11 off the bench
 
The Sharks return to the court Saturday at 4 p.m. when they take on host Northern Kentucky.