DALLAS, Pa. – The FDU-Florham men's basketball team rallied in the final minutes of regulation but were unable to overtake Misericordia University, ultimately falling 81-72 on Wednesday night at the Anderson Center.

Trailing by 12 with 2:13 to play, the Devils (1-5, 0-1 Freedom) came storming back to cut the deficit to five points.  Junior forward Jesse Oringer (Chester, N.J.) drained a jumper, then Kevin Furlong (Hazlet, N.J.) followed with a steal and layup.

After the two teams traded a pair of free throws, Devils freshman point guard Steve Herdman (South Amboy, N.J.) drilled a 3 pointer to cut the Cougars' lead to five at 75-70 with 54 ticks to go.

On the ensuing inbound, the Devils appeared to come up with a steal but the referees ruled an indavertant whistle. With the possession arrow in their favor, the Cougars regained possession and proceeded to close out the game at the free throw line.  

FDU-Florham sophomore forward Donte Ali (Willingboro, N.J.) finished with eight points and 11 boards, while Herdman added 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in the loss.

In the first half, Misericordia (7-1, 1-0 Freedom) used its physicality to get to the free throw line and earned 11 free throw attempts, while the Devils only managed to get to the line three times in the first half. The free throw disparity aided the Cougars, who led 41-29 at the break despite both teams' nearly identical shooting percentages. Although the two teams each totaled eight turnovers in the opening period, the Cougars made the most of their opportunities by converting the Devils' mishaps into 10 points

The Devils knocked down 12 of 25 shots (48%), while the Cougars were 14-for-27 (51.9%) from the floor over the first twenty minutes of action. Misericordia received a big contribution from its bench, as the Cougars reserves totaled 17 points in the first stanza, led by freshman guard Jacob Battle's seven tallies.

Misericordia increased their lead to 18 points with 9:46 to play in regulation but FDU-Florham remained undeterred and furiously battled back. FDU-Florham's comeback was ignited by senior guard Anibal Villa (Hackensack, N.J.). Villa buried two shots from beyond the arc and a midrange jumper as he scored eight straight points to bring the Devils within 11.

FDU-Florham struggled to stop Cougars senior guard Joe Busacca, who led all scorers with 25 points. Busacca drove to the basket all night long and made 9-of-10 from the floor. Senior forward Steve Ware corralled 13 rebounds to go along with his 11 points for Misericordia in the victory.

Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham hosts King's College this Saturday, December 6^th at 3 p.m.