Box Score MADISON, N.J. -- Eastern University guard Anthony Parenti's layup with 2.6 seconds to play sent the Eagles past FDU-Florham 74-73 on Tuesday night at the Ferguson Recreation Center.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Devils (12-12, 7-6 Freedom) still control their own destiny in the race for the Freedom Conference playoffs. With a win over Delaware Valley on Saturday (3:00 p.m.), the Devils will secure a postseason berth.

FDU-Florham is currently in a three-way tie at 7-6 with Delaware Valley College and Manhattanville College for third place in the conference. DeSales University has sewn up the top seed, while Misericordia University clinched a spot, but their seed is still yet to be determined. In all, four teams have a shot at the final two spots, including King's College (6-7).

FDU-Florham could have secured a spot on Tuesday night, due to Manhattanville's win over Delaware Valley, but the Devils comeback bid against the Eagles (10-14, 4-9 Freedom) came up short.

In the loss, senior captain Trevor Sykes (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys) became the 30^th Devils men's basketball player to score 1,000 career points. Sykes totaled his second double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds on the night.

With 6:20 to play in regulation, the Eagles held a 10-point lead but the Devils used a 15-4 run to cut the deficit down to one. Senior forward Will Green (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) grabbed a steal with 58 seconds left and found Kevin Furlong for a layup to give the Devils a 71-70 lead. After a layup by Parenti, Green plowed through to the basket for a lay-in to put the Devils back on top at 73-72 with 15 seconds to go.

After an Eastern timeout, Parenti used a clever drive to get to the rim for the game-winning layup. John Flete (Flemington, N.J./North Hampton CC) had a chance at a half-court heave as time expired but it was off the mark and the Eagles held on for the victory.

The Devils trailed 36-28 at the break but scored 45 second-half points thanks to 52.9 percent shooting from the floor in the second stanza. Green scored 15 of his game-high 27 points in the second half and pulled in nine rebounds on the night. The senior captain has now totaled 57 points in the Devils last two contests.

Five Eagles tallied double-figure scoring efforts, including Shaquan Turk who led Eastern with 16 points and eight rebounds. Parenti scored 15 points off of the bench for Eastern on 6-for-8 shooting, including the game's decisive basket.

Next up for the Devils:
The Devils' Freedom Conference playoff hopes will be decided this Saturday, February 22^nd when they take on Delaware Valley College at 3 p.m. in Doylestown, PA.