Box Score DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – The FDU-Florham Devils men's basketball team rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat Delaware Valley College 78-76 in overtime on Saturday afternoon and advance to the Freedom Conference tournament.

With the win, the Devils (13-12, 8-6 Freedom) will take on Misericordia University in the opening round of the tournament this Wednesday, February 26^th at 7 p.m. in Dallas, PA. FDU-Florham senior captain -and newest member of the 1,000-point club- Trevor Sykes (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys) dropped a career-high 32 points to lead the Devils in the win or go home contest.

Midway through the opening stanza, the Aggies put together an 11-0 run, which built a 13 point lead with 7:32 to play in the opening half. The Devils shot 34.6 percent from the floor and 2-for-9 from downtown in the half and entered the break trailing 38-29.

FDU-Florham opened the second half with a 10-2 run and cut the Aggies lead down to one point. Delaware Valley proceeded to tally the next 14 points, which built their lead back up to double-digits at 52-39 with 11:15 to play in regulation. The Devils remained undeterred and rallied with a 23-7 run to gain their first lead of the game at 62-59 with 2:35 to go in the contest.

The two teams traded 3-pointers and the Devils led 65-62.  However, a layup by Delaware Valley's Zach Sly and a free throw by Aggie guard Francis Arnold evened the score at 65. Next, Delaware Valley sophomore forward Chris Moran got into the paint and converted a layup to put the Aggies on top with 21 seconds to play.

With 11.2 seconds to go, Sykes dribbled down and launched a fall-away jumper. In the act of shooting, Sykes drew contact and after a discussion, the referees ruled that his attempt had occurred from beyond the 3-point arc. The senior guard knocked down the first two free throws to even the score, but his third attempt was unsuccessful. Devils senior forward Will Green (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) proceeded to make the defensive stop of the game by blocking Sly's layup attempt as time winded down. Kevin Furlong (Hazlet, N.J/Raritan) launched a long heave as time expired but it was off the mark and the game headed into overtime.

With 49 seconds left in the overtime period, Furlong knocked down a jumper to give the Devils a 73-70 lead. Aggies junior Nick Sullivan countered with a 3-pointer and evened the score at 73-73. Delaware Valley put on a full-court press but the Devils easily broke it, which resulted in an uncontested lay-in for Green with 28.6 seconds remaining. Arnold got to the free throw line but missed both attempts and the Devils took advantage. Furlong drew a foul and missed the front end of the one-and-one but Green pulled down the offensive rebound to allow the Devils to retain possession. The Aggies fouled Sykes with 13.8 seconds to go and he promptly drilled both free throws to give FDU-Florham a 77-73 lead.

Arnold came down the floor and knocked down a long 3-pointer with 8.8 ticks to go. Furlong was fouled, and he hit the first free throw but missed the second. Fortunately for the Devils, freshman forward Donte Ali (Willingboro, N.J./Medford Tech) snagged the rebound. Ali's put-back attempt was blocked but with the clock ticking down Moran heaved a desperate 3-point attempt that was off the mark and the Devils escaped with the win.

Sykes finished the contest 10-for-19 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. Green notched his 10^th double-double of the season with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while senior John Flete (Flemington, N.J./North Hampton CC) chipped in with 10 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in the victory.

Moran led the Aggies with 23 points and eight rebounds, while Arnold added 17 points and five rebounds in defeat.

Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham opens the Freedom Conference tournament this Wednesday, February 26^th against Misericordia University. Start time is slated for 7 p.m. The Devils split the season-series against the Cougars 1-1, with each team winning the road contest.