MADISON, N.J. -- The No. 1-ranked FDU-Florham women's basketball team returned home Wednesday night, following a five game stretch on the road, and defended their home court with a 78-48 Freedom Conference victory over the Eastern University Eagles.

The two teams went back and forth trading baskets until the Eagles (10-4, 2-1 Freedom) gained a one-point advantage over the Devils (14-0, 3-0 Freedom) with just under 10 minutes to play in the half. However, it did not take long for the Eagles to relinquish the lead as junior guard Alicia Cox (Vineland, N.J.) knocked down a jumper for the Devils that sparked a 13-2 run.

Once the Devils regained the lead, it proved to be insurmountable for an Eagles team that struggled to maintain possession of the ball. The defensive pressure that has caused problems for all of the Devils opponents this season got the best of the Eagles, as they turned the ball over 28 times in the contest.

The Devils roster is filled with efficient scorers and hard-nosed defenders, but tonight it was Kyra Dayon (Trenton, N.J.) who put her offensive ability on display in front of the home crowd, going for a game-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

With a comfortable 41-27 advantage at the half, the Devils coasted the rest of the way by playing with their usual high intensity on both sides of the ball. Nearing the end of the game, the Devils pressure did not fade and they went on a 16-6 run to truly put the game to rest.

All 10 players for the Devils saw action in the game and they all made an impact. Not only did every player on the Devils roster score, but they each also recorded one or more steals in the contest.

Junior forward Shalette Brown (Somerset, N.J.), who is coming off a career-game against Brooklyn College this past week, found herself in foul trouble early against the Eagles and was forced to the sidelines for an extended period of time. However, during her time on the court, she shot 3-of-5 from the floor for 11 points.

Coming into the game the Eagles had a slight advantage in the low post as their lineup features two dominant post scorers in Meghan Nowak and Emily Lavin, who are both capable of scoring in a multitude of ways. The undersized Devils did their best to contain the two, but Nowak went for 17 points and nine rebounds, while Lavin put up 12 points and eight boards.

It was a tough matchup. However, the Devils made it extremely difficult for the other members of the Eagles to find the bottom of the net. Ultimately, the Devils prevailed and even won the rebounding margin 42-41.

Senior guard Leigh-Ann Lively (Bangor, Pa.) added to her all-time school record 3-pointers made by burying three shots from beyond the arc to give her 11 points in the contest.

In their next contest, the top-ranked Devils will travel back on the road and square off with the DeSales University Bulldogs on Saturday, January 21 at 1 p.m.