STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The FDU-Florham men's basketball team cut a 23-point, second-half deficit down to three points but were unable to come away with the victory, ultimately falling 81-69 to the College of Staten Island Dolphins at the Sports & Recreation Center on Monday night.

The Devils (1-12) fought valiantly and nearly overtook the Dolphins (8-5) by mounting a 22-2 run in the second half but unfortunately when the final buzzer sounded FDU-Florham was on the wrong side of the ledger. In the loss, four Devils scored in double-figures led by senior guard Kevin Furlong's (Hazlet, N.J.) 16-point outing.

Furlong played well in his return from injury by leading the Devils with 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists. The senior guard also had an efficient shooting night and knocked down five of his nine shots, including 3-of-6 from downtown.

As the midway point of the first stanza approached, the Dolphins held a slim two-point edge at 22-20. Unfortunately for FDU-Florham, the home team surged over the remaining 10 minutes of the frame and extended their cushion to 51-32 by the break. The Dolphins closed the half with a 29-12 run and thrived in the paint, scoring 38 points in the painted area.

Thomas Delahanty paced the Dolphins with 14 points and seven boards on a red-hot 6-of-7 from the floor in the opening half. Delahanty finished with a double-double (22 points and 12 rebounds) on an efficient 10-of-13 shooting. Delahanty's shooting success was contagious as the home team connected on 58.8 percent of their shots over the first 20 minutes of play.

The second half did not begin well for the Devils as the Dolphins immediately increased their cushion to 23 points two minutes in, however, following a timeout, head coach Peter Marion's squad came back onto the floor energized. 

Freshmen guards Steve Herdman (South Amboy, N.J.) and Ryan Rigby (Bristol, Pa.) started the comeback with back-to-back 3-pointers, then Donte Ali (Willingboro, N.J.) answered a CSI jumper with a layup in traffic. Following another Herdman longball, the Devils were within 14 at 61-47 with 14:29 to play in regulation.

After a Dolphins' timeout, Ali nabbed a steal, which led to a 3-ball by Furlong and a minute later, Herdman cut the deficit to single-digits with a three-point play. Now trailing by eight, a layup by Furlong and a 3-pointer from Michael Barber (Middletown, N.J.) capped a 16-0 Devils' run and made it a one-possession game with 11:42 still to go.

CSI displayed resilience and prevented FDU-Florham from getting any closer by running off on an 15-4 spurt of their own, sparked by sophomore guard Frank Schettino. Schettino scored 14 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and served as a catalyst for CSI's offense by dishing out 10 assists in the victory.

The Devils buried a season-best 44 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, as Herdman and Furlong combined to knock down six of their 12 attempts from 3-point land. Herdman and Ali joined Furlong in double-figures with 14 points apiece, while Rigby chipped in a career-high 10 points in the loss.

FDU-Florham will look to snap its 10-game winless streak when they return home for a Freedom Conference matchup against Eastern University this Wednesday, January 14 at 8 p.m.