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Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Athletics

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Furlongdrive
Furlong filled the stat sheet in Saturday afternoon's loss
64
Winner KINGSM KINGSM 5-2, (1-1)
62
FDU-Florham FDUFM 1-6, (0-2)
Winner
KINGSM KINGSM
5-2, (1-1)
64
Final
62
FDU-Florham FDUFM
1-6, (0-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
KINGSM KINGSM 23 41 64
FDU-Florham FDUFM 23 39 62

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | by: Bryan Jackson

Devils' Rally Falls Short in Wild Loss to Monarchs

MADISON, N.J. -- In a game that featured 58 fouls and 74 free throws, the FDU-Florham men's basketball team had an opportunity to pull out a thrilling come-from-behind victory but ultimately came up short in a 64-62 loss to King's College (5-2, 1-1 Freedom) on Saturday afternoon at Ferguson Recreation Center.

With 4.7 seconds remaining in regulation, Monarchs junior guard Connor Hughes missed the second of his two free throws and the Devils (1-6, 0-2 Freedom) secured the rebound. Next, sophomore forward Donte Ali (Willingboro, N.J.) tossed an outlet pass to sophomore forward Michael Barber (Middletown, N.J.), who was immediately swarmed by three Monarchs. Barber worked across midcourt but was forced to heave a desperation 45-foot, game-winning attempt that was off the mark and King's held on for the victory.

The Devils were hampered by only making 22 of their 39 (56.4%) attempts from the charity stripe. Senior guard Kevin Furlong (Hazlet, N.J.) led the Devils with 16 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots, three steals and three assists, while Ali added 13 points, nine rebounds, five steals and two blocks in the loss.

In addition to their struggles at the line, the Devils shot 28.1 percent from the field, including 4-of-26 (15.4%) from beyond the arc.

FDU-Florham limited the Monarchs to just six made field goals in the opening stanza but King's converted 10-of-12 from the line and the game was tied 30-30 at the break.  The Devils missed all nine of their 3-point attempts in the opening half but were able to pull even when freshman guard Steve Herdman (South Amboy, N.J.) was fouled with no time left on the first-half clock. Herdman knocked down both of his free throws to send the game into intermission deadlocked.

The Monarchs built an 11-point cushion in the second half and held that lead with 5:41 to play in regulation. Two minutes later, the Devils began their comeback.  Ali scored a layup and Herdman made the Monarchs pay for a turnover by countering with a three, which cut the deficit to five points at 58-53.

With 2:24 to play, Barber knocked down a pair of free throws and Furlong hit one to bring the Devils within two at 58-56. The Devils had a chance to tie the game but Furlong and Ali were both 1-for-2 at the line on the next two Devil possessions to pull to within 61-58 with 22 ticks remaining. Fortunately, Ali secured the offensive rebound on Furlong's second miss and dropped in a layup, which made it a one-point game.

Following a pair of free throws by King's freshman Chris Fazzini, FDU-Florham freshman Veon Lassiter (Elizabeth, N.J.) rebounded a Devils' miss and finished the put-back attempt with five seconds to go.  Unfortunately, after Hughes' free throws, FDU-Florham did not have enough time to earn a quality look.

Fazzini netted a game-high 18 points, including 12-of-14 from the line, while Dan Rutecki chipped in with 16 points and eight boards for King's in the win.

Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham hosts cross-street rival Drew University this Tuesday, December 9 at 7 p.m. 
 
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