ST. DAVID'S, Pa. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham women's basketball team found itself in a rare tightly-contested conference battle and were ultimately defeated 88-87 in dramatic overtime fashion by the Eastern University Eagles in St. David's, Pa. Saturday afternoon.

With less than 10 seconds left on the clock in the overtime period, the Devils (20-1, 9-1 Freedom) had just taken a one-point lead following a Shalette Brown (Somerset, N.J.) layup. However, the Eagles (17-4, 9-1 Freedom) quickly picked up the ball and marched their way down the court. A streaking Emily Lavin found the ball and laid it in for the game-winning shot, snapping the Devils 53-game winning streak. This marked the first Devils' loss since March 1, 2013.

The Devils were tested early in the contest by senior forward Meghan Nowak, who scored the Eagles' first six points. With no Brown or Alyssa McDonough (Parlin, N.J.) in the first half, the Devils received their scoring from several different players. Senior Kyra Dayon (Trenton, N.J.) led the way for FDU-Florham with 11 points and seven rebounds in the first half. Dayon used her versatility in the low post and went on to have her second consecutive double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds to go along with six steals. Freshman Alicia Cox (Vineland, N.J.) added 11 points.  

The Eagles answered the call by using their staggering size to attack the paint. Lavin and Nowak each had a double-double on the afternoon to help give the Eagles the slight edge. Lavin scored 15 points to go along with 15 rebounds and eight blocks, while Nowak had a game-high 24 points with 13 boards, five blocks and five steals.

Right before the halftime buzzer sounded, Taylor Price knocked down a jumper to give the Eagles a seven-point advantage. The Devils now found themselves in unfamiliar territory trailing at the half.

However, McDonough and Brown were reasserted into the lineup to start the second half, and right away they went to work with a Brown layup off of a McDonough assist.  With Brown back on the court, the Devils were able to work the glass efficiently, grabbing 18 offensive rebounds in the half. Brown finished the game with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Neither team was ever able to break away in the second half but with two minutes to play, McDonough knocked down a big 3-point shot to put the Devils up by two. The Eagles responded with a layup and with the clock winding down in the half, the Devils failed to get a shot off at the buzzer.

This was the first time since December 30, 2011, that the Devils were entering an overtime period. The Eagles jumped out to a quick four-point advantage, but the Devils responded with several made free throws. With FDU-Florham now down by just one point and less than 40 seconds remaining on the clock, the Eagles had possession. However, Nowak turned the ball over.

The Devils took advantage of the costly turnover and looked to attack. Brown had the ball and dribbled to her spot on the floor and banked the shot off of the glass and into the basket to put FDU-Florham on top. Eastern responded immediately though by running up the court and finding Lavin, who was streaking to the basket for the game-winning layup.

The Eagles turned the ball over 23 times in the contest, yet they still managed to find their shots on offense and five different players scored in double figures. Both teams fought hard on the glass but the edge went to the Devils who outrebounded the Eagles 48-46, including 23 offensive rebounds compared to the Eagles nine.

FDU-Florham will return home and square off against the Manhattanville College Valiants on Wednesday, February 11, at 6 p.m.