MADISON, NJ - Down by three points with under 0:10 left in regulation, sophomore guard Adam Katz (Wharton, NJ/Morris Hills) was fouled while attempting a game-tying three-pointer.  After making the first free throw, he missed the second and made the third to pull FDU to within 65-64 with 0:06 to go.  Misericordia was then able to hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it 66-64 and a desperation heave by the Devils fell short allowing Misericordia to pick up the win in Freedom Conference action on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Devils dropped to 3-19 (1-10 Freedom) while the Cougars improved to 13-10 (7-5 Freedom).

The Devils held a 5-4 lead early in the game when the Cougars ripped off a 14-3 run to grab a 19-7 advantage with 10:15 left in the first half.  FDU responded immediately with 14-5 run, thanks to seven points from Katz, to pull to within 24-21 with 4:54 to play.  Misericordia went back up by nine, 31-23, but the Devils got the final bucket of the first half to cut the deficit to 31-24 heading into the locker room.

A three-ball by senior forward Andrew Biancosino (Edison, NJ/JP Stevens) started the second half, allowing the Devils to get within four but the Cougars came right back with a 7-0 run to take a 38-27 lead.  The Devils methodically chipped away at the lead, going on a 25-11 run over the next 11 minutes to take a 52-49 lead with 7:41 to go.  The game went back-and-forth over the next three minutes and with the score tied at 55-55, Misericordia went on a 10-2 run to grab a 65-57 advantage with 2:52 remaining.  The Devils cut it to six on a jumper by Katz, then to three (65-62) on an old-fashioned three-point play by freshman guard Alex Rosario (Bound Brook, NJ/Bound Brook) with 1:18 to go.  Misericordia had the ball and a chance to put the game on ice with 0:43 to play but FDU forced a bad shot and got the ball with 0:12 to play after taking a timeout.  Katz raced the ball into the frontcourt and pulled up for three at the top of the key but was fouled with 0:06 to go.  He made 2-of-3 to cut it to 65-64 but Misericordia got the ball in quickly and were able to run five valuable seconds off the clock before being fouled.  The Cougars made the first free throw but missed the second on purpose and Biancosino's three-quarter court heave fell short allowing Misericordia to get the win.

Biancosino finished Senior Day with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Katz added 15 points.  Rosario dropped in 12 points off the bench while junior center Ricky Fetske (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) pulled down 12 boards.

The Devils return to action on Tuesday, February 16, 2010, at home against Eastern beginning at 8 pm.