Box Score MADISON, N.J. – On Saturday afternoon at the Ferguson Recreation Center, FDU-Florham sophomore forward Shalette Brown (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) exploded for a career-high 29 points and 16 rebounds to lead the fifth-ranked FDU-Florham Devils to a 79-66 victory over Messiah College and a trip to the Sweet 16.

The unbeaten Devils (29-0) will take on Baldwin Wallace University next Friday, March 14^th in the team's first ever NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance with time and place to be announced on Monday.

The game was knotted at 28-28 at the break, but the Devils opened the second half with an 11-2 run to grab a lead that they would not relinquish. In the loss, the Falcons (21-8) successful season comes to an end. Messiah put forth a valiant effort led by senior Katelyn Vanderhoff, who tallied a team-high 21 points in defeat but could not hand the Devils their first loss.

In the first half, the two teams traded baskets throughout the stanza. Vanderhoff's jumper with 3:28 remaining in the period provided the Falcons with their largest lead of the game at 26-19. With the Falcons leading 28-21, the Devils rallied to score the final seven points of the half to tie the game at 28-28 heading into intermission. FDU-Florham senior point guard Jalessa Lewis (Irvington, N.J./Mount St. Dominic) led the Devils with 11 first-half points and knocked down all five of her shot attempts. The senior's toughness set the tone for the Devils throughout the contest.

Brown opened the second half with a layup and after two free throws by Vanderhoff, Kara Dayon (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Central) drilled a three-pointer, which put the Devils on top 33-30. Brown scored the game's next six points with a bucket and two free throws to give the Devils a 39-30 lead. However, Messiah rallied back and cut the deficit to three points, thanks to a three-pointer by senior guard Chelsea Danel, a pair of free throws, and a jumper off of a turnover. Fortunately, the Devils countered with an 8-0 run to rebuild their lead.

After Messiah nailed a jumper to cut the lead down to six, Rachel Groom (Edison, N.J./Edison) and Brown hit back-to-back hoops in the paint to provide the Devils with a 10-point advantage. With 1:32 to play, Dayon iced the game for FDU-Florham with a steal and fast break layup, which put the Devils ahead 70-59.  The Devils, who entered the contest shooting 68.3 percent from the line as a team, knocked down nine of their 10 attempts from the charity stripe in the final minute to preserve the victory.

Four Devils scored in double-figures led by Brown's 29 points. Lewis finished with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Kyra Dayon (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Central) and her sister Kara each added 12 points in the victory. FDU-Florham only made two of their seven attempts from downtown but shot 46.4 percent overall from the floor.

Messiah senior guard Taylor Miller totaled 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Danel chipped in with 12 points and shot an efficient 4-for-6 from the field.

Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham takes on the Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets next Friday with time and place still to be determined. The Yellow Jackets defeated York College (PA) 67-52 on Saturday afternoon to advance to the Sweet 16.