NEW LONDON, Conn. – Freshman guard Jayson Hughes connected from long range five times en route to a game-high 27 points as the FDU-Florham men's basketball team topped Connecticut College 83-73 in the opening game of the Coaches vs Cancer Tournament on Friday night.

Playing in just his second collegiate game, Hughes' 27 points are the most in a game by a Devil since Trevor Sykes scored 32 during the 2013-14 season.

With the win, the Devils (1-1) advance to Saturday's tournament championship game against Mount Ida College, who defeated Newbury College 83-73 in Friday's nightcap.

Both teams struggled to find the range in the first half as the Devils knocked down 32.4 percent of their shots, while the host Camels (0-1) converted at a 35 percent clip. In addition, the Devils were only able to muster a 3-for-15 (20 percent) effort from downtown. Hughes also struggled in the first stanza with a 1-for-6 shooting performance for five points, including 0-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Led by Zuri Pavlin's 10 points and eight rebounds, the Camels carried a 35-34 edge into the break.

The Camels pounced on the Devils out of the locker room with a 9-0 run, which stretched their lead to 44-34. But Hughes put a stop to the surge and responded with the Devils' next nine points on three-straight treys.

Following a layup by fellow freshman Derek Leohner, Hughes struck again, this time with back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Devils in front 51-49.

Although the Camels would again build a lead to as much as six points, the Devils remained undeterred and fought back valiantly. After the teams exchanged leads, sophomore guard Steve Herdman's 3-pointer with 1:59 to go put the Devils in front for good, 72-70, as they closed out the contest at the free throw line.

In the win, junior forward Donte Ali recorded a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Leohner finished with 18 points. Herdman finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine boards on the night.

The Devils took care of business at the free throw line led by Hughes and Leohner, who combined to go 16-of-20 from the charity stripe. As a team, the Devils shot 79.3 percent from the line after a dismal 51.9 percent performance in the season opener.

Pavlin led the way for the Camels with 16 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

Connecticut College will take on Newbury in the consolation game at 1:30 p.m. before FDU-Florham and Mount Ida square off at 3:30 p.m.